The opossum is a North American mammal about the size of a cat. It looks much like an over sized rat. In fact, one type of opossum is actually called the rat opossum. What's most interesting about opossums is how it reacts to predators: if it can't escape and hissing and showing its teeth do not scare off the predator, they pretend to die. The thing is, it's not doing this because it wants to; it can't really control it. Its muscles tighten up in fear and it faints.
Do possums really play possum?
The possum--the full name is opossum--is a North American mammal about the size of a cat. It looks pretty ratty, and in fact one variety is called the rat opossum. The most distinctive thing about the glamourless possum is how it reacts to predators. When it can't run or hide, and hissing and showing its teeth do not impress an enemy, the possum feigns death. But here's the catch: it's not "playing." This isn't an act and the animal can't control it. Its muscles stiffen out of sheer terror. The good news is that the predator is then likely to go away, sparing the possum's life. Imagine how many years of twice-a-week psychotherapy the possum probably needs after such trauma, not to mention a prescription for an antidepressant.
