/oss/taxonomy/term/6833/all en /oss/article/general-science/playing-dead-rarely-answer-despite-what-nature-tells-us <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/playing-dead-is-rarely-the-answer-despite-what-nature-tells-us/">The Skeptical Inquirer.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Properly called “tonic immobility,” feigning death when approached by a predator is a fairly common tactic across the animal kingdom. Some creatures go the extra mile to sell the charade, excreting stinking bodily fluids to make attackers think they’re a rotting corpse that would be downright dangerous to eat. But should we (humans) ever do it?</p> Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:55:26 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9480 at /oss