The fauna is bizarre and amazing. How much nature has foreseen to provide the animals with a wide variety of protection and camouflage mechanisms! One unusual example of survival tactics is misleading predators
To save a life
In order not to become the dinner of someone big and bloodthirsty, some animals go to the cunning - they pretend to be dead. The first place in the rating here rightfully belongs to the possum. This animal depicts a corpse so naturally that even an experienced hunter and an experienced zoologist can believe it. In a critical situation, the possum very realistically falls on one side, bulges its eyes, opens its mouth and freezes in rigor mortis. And so that the most picky ones do not have the slightest doubt that the animal has given its soul to God long ago, the animal emits a special fetid substance.
A similar tactic, albeit with slightly less special effects, is used by mice. Of course, they do not fall into a catatonic stupor, but they can also freeze and even allow predators to slightly bite or play with their insensible body. Those who have ever watched the game of a cat with a caught mouse have probably seen something similar. A fluffy predator is interested in prey only as long as it escapes and can be caught. As soon as the mouse becomes like a rag, the cat loses interest in it. It often happens that at this very moment the victim comes to life and rushes away with all his might.
Reception of the hunt
Some inhabitants of the animal world also pretend to be dead for the purpose of hunting. To lure bottom-feeding fish, another cichlid fish (Haplochromis livingstoni) acts as bait itself. She sinks to the bottom, freezes and changes the color of her body, becoming covered with "cadaveric" spots. When scavengers are interested in the bait, the seemingly dead fish comes to life. The victim suddenly turns into a real predator!
In nature, there are also cases when predators, who do not have the ability to hunt in the usual way due to injury or illness, are forced to resort to such tricks. Lions, large snakes and even wolves pretend to be dead.
For fun
The crow has long been known as a master of various inventions. Great artistry is really inherent in this bird. Often, she can also pretend to be dead in order to mislead her opponents. But if possums use this technique at the level of reflexes and it is characteristic of all representatives of the species, the crow owes such an original idea exclusively to its own ingenuity. This clever bird can fall on its side and "die" both in case of danger and in order to lull the vigilance of a person or other animals and imperceptibly drag off some tidbit for lunch.
