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The saying "playing possum" comes from the tendency of the American opossum (which is not a true possum) to fall into a deathlike stupor when threatened.

An animal that "plays possum" actually goes into a state of physiological suspension whereupon it appears to be quite dead. This is a defence mechanism to avoid being attacked by a predator, and is quite involuntary.

The term should actually be "playing opossum" as this behaviour is shown by North American opossums, not true possums of the Oceania region.

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15y ago

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