Playing Possum: Find Out The Meaning And The Reasons Behind It

Playing possum is a commonly used idiom popular around the world.

While the idiom banks on a peculiar behavioral aspect of possums, to play possum actually means pretending to be dead, feign death, or even being asleep. For instance, the child had been playing possum to act out of playing the match since Saturday.

Realistically, playing possum is a way to escape out of a situation or even arenas to avoid getting to a situation altogether. Sometimes the idiom is used as a way to mean that someone is playing stupid by not understanding what is going on around them.

The expression to play possum has been in use since the 1800s, and it spins off from the specific habit of this animal, a cute mammal that feigns being lifeless, to ward off attackers or predators.

Interestingly, to play possum means that someone pretends to simply get injured as well, besides meaning being vulnerable or even unconscious. Such behavior in these animals comes across as a pretending defense tactic.

To play possum could also be used to lure some opponent into a position of vulnerability that just happened. It is a mode to pretend, most believe.

Keep on reading to learn more about this phrase. You can also read about the difference between opossum and possum and hawk symbolism here on Kidadl.

What does the phrase playing possum mean?

The phrase 'to play possum,' basically means to pretend or play-act. This phrase has caught on so much that it has been used globally over time. It gained popularity as means of signifying someone who will pretend and play-act.

The first evidence of use of this American phrase 'to play possum' has been recorded or happened to be mentioned in the early part of the 1820s in the US. An early mention has been found in the work of Adiel Sherwood, a gazetteer of the state of Georgia, in 1829.

The expression was mentioned as 'He is playing possum with you'.

A classic real-life example of playing possum is a tip to escape from a bear, among all animals, in the woods. General advice remains that you could get away by playing possum during such an encounter. You can check such video content online as well.

Do possums really play possum?

A possum doesn't actually indulge in playing possum or faking death. Only when they see some kind of threat lurking around or a possibility of being preyed upon do they initiate a cationic state of being, i.e., they feign death.

Possums will generally run away in the opposite direction on being targeted first. It tends to growl and show teeth, too, in such situations.

However, given their small size, they tend to be overpowered more often than not! This is when they end up playing possum or feigning death.

In this state, the possum simply drops to the ground and looks blank with its eyes. It might as well close its eyes tight and go limp.

The animal seems lifeless, and breathing stops suddenly. The tongue sticks out as if gagged while it drools and engages in bowel discharge. All this makes the predator feel that it has turned lifeless.

Even poking the individual that has been playing possum or playing dead yields no movement in the body in forever! Technically, it does not actually die as it plays possum but feigns being dead with these neurological responses.

For example, if you come across this animal playing possum, it means that it had been attacked sometime earlier or been caught off guard. The attacker gradually drops off the target and moves on, thinking that the animal is without life in the body.

This state of playing possum is not actually 'play.'

It is induced by thanatosis or tonic immobility as a reaction to fear or being threatened. It is never a means of play.

It is a reflex reaction simply on the lines of the attackers' reactions to pretend to die slowly.

For example, a possum will not have reflexes active in the state of play or playing possum and has no feeling of discomfort in the process of feeling threatened. This means even if an attacker bites on to or attacks it further, the animal will feel nothing or have no reaction in this state of immobility or play.

This tactic to 'play possum' works well, and the predator will leave such prey that goes dead or inactive suddenly. Recovery unto normal state for the possum that had been faking being dead takes between minutes to even hours.

Injuries are likely to be sustained as part of the play, but a possum appears to make a full recovery post such a state of having played possum. They rarely get killed as a result. This might not have been the case with a fox, chickens, mice, or even cats!

Do opossums play dead?

To begin with, an opossum is not the exact same as a possum. While the two are used as interchangeable terms mostly, there is some difference between both. However, an opossum too can be playing possum. It, however, does not fake being dead just for the sake of it.

Feigning death or playing possum is again a defense mechanism that an opossum has up its sleeve when it is afraid. It can lay low when it can hear a threat like a cat or even rats.

Why do possums play dead?

Since a full-grown opossum measure up to a length of 3 in (7.62 cm) at the most and it weighs between 4-15 lb (1.81-6.80 kg), these mammals have a slow gait too. Playing possum is an effective means to ward off most predators. It is a shock-like state of the body that occurs as an involuntary response to confrontation.

The playing possum action in the case of a possum and an opossum is the same. One interesting part to add here is that an opossum also smells dead at the same time while this involuntary playing dead action occurs.

This is because when playing possum, the opossum releases a mucous-like liquid from the tail area, which smells like something is rotting.

Opossums are native to North America, being found chiefly in the USA and Southern Canada. Possums are natives of New Zealand, China, and Australia.

The former comes with a white-gray fur color, and the latter has a brownish golden fur color. The opossum fur is thick, coarse, and very wiry. The possum fur is soft.

Opossums and possums are best left in the wild since they have good survival rates despite being hunted by predators. Petting them is not a safe bet, mostly because they are solitary creatures and have chances to spread certain diseases to human beings.

Besides that, there are wildlife permits needed for mammals or marsupials to be allowed to stay at a house as a pet.

Did you know?

A Virginia opossum and a possum use their tails as a limb to climb trees despite being separate animals. They are also immune to the poison of pit vipers.

Opossums survive frostbites on their eras and tail too. They birth babies just two weeks after conceiving!

Interestingly, an opossum literally means white dog in Algonquian (native American) language. It sure plays dead with a lot of conviction.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for playing possum then why not take a look at what does a possum looks like or more possum facts.