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裝死的負鼠
Playing dead doesn't seem like much of a strategy, but it works for the opossum, commonly known as the possum. The possum is a rather unglamorous creature. It has big, black eyes, a pale pointy face and a hairless tail, like a rat's. Possums aren't finicky about their food, either: they eat fruits, vegetables, insects, reptiles, and even roadkill(路上被撞死動物的尸體). They do have a couple of unique habits, though: as North America's only marsupial(有袋動物), they can carry their young in a pouch(育兒袋,肚囊;頰囊), like a kangaroo(袋鼠), and they can play dead. Possums are famous for "playing dead" when threatened, but this isn't quite accurate. They are not "playing" dead at all: the possum goes into shock when particularly stressed. While not dead, it can be found lying on its side with its legs extended and is, in fact, limp and unconscious during this time, like a person who has fainted. While playing dead discourages predators from chasing the possum, it also makes them vulnerable. When drivers see the limp possum in the road, they don't bother to swerve, since they assume it's already dead. There are also accounts of people shooting the comatose possum in order to "put it out of its misery(結束它的痛苦)." There is such a thing as overplaying a part.
