Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). This year's older cub came to drink at the human dwelling.© Karel ...

We all know that animals “play dead” in certain situations. But do you know the reasons behind the “feigning death” phenomenon? “Playing dead,” or “feigning death,” is common in the animal kingdom, ...

In “Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death,” Susana Monsó, a professor of philosophy at the National Distance Education University in Madrid, argues that although humans are unique in our ...

Susana Monsó has received funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and from the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation. It was a story that pulled at the heartstrings. In 2018, an orca called ...

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). This year's older cub came to drink at the human dwelling.© Karel Bock/Shutterstock.com Animals playing dead is a real, scientifically described behavior ...