Harri Elizabeth Weber is a science and tech journalist in Los Angeles, CA. Her work has appeared in TechCrunch, Fast Company, Gizmodo, VentureBeat and The Next Web.
When Dice snakes face a predator, the most theatrical members of the fish-eating species sometimes go to extremes to avoid becoming dinner. On Golem Grad, a lake island in North Macedonia, Dice snakes under threat from birds play dead by going rigid or lax, smearing poop and musk on themselves, and even bleeding from their mouths. Death causes muscle relaxation and can lead animals to defecate or urinate post mortem.
“They really commit to the role, depending on the individual,” Bjelica added. The researchers said they saw adult Dice snakes feign death more often than juveniles ; the hatchling snakes they studied, however, never played dead. The authors wrote in the study that young snakes “are at greater risk of predation and, in turn, should avoid risky antipredator displays.” Plenty of species defend themselves by thanatosis, or playing dead.
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