The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-11
THE ssPOssUM PLAYERS
Trick Of F~eigning Death Practiced In
Both Vegetable and Animal Life.

Atlantic Monthly.
The feigning of death by certain animals,
Tor the purpose OF deceiving their enemies.
and thus securing immunity, is one OF
the greatest of many evidences OF their
intelligent ratiocination. Letusimulation
from letum, death, and simulare, to feign)
Is not confined to any particular family,
order. or species of animals, but exists
In many. from the very lowest to the high
est. 1t is found even in the vegetable KING
dom, the w~ell-known sensitive plant pelnS
an interesting example. The action OF TINS
plant is however. purely reflex, as can De
Is not, therefore, a process OF intelligence;
The habit OF feigning death has INTRODUCED
a figure of speech into the English Ian
guage, and has done much TO magnify ana
perpetuate the fame of the only marsuplal
found outside the limits of Australasia.
Playing 'possum" is now a synonym for
certain kinds Of deception. 1 have seen
this habit in some of the lowest animals
known to science. Some time ago, While
examining the inhabitants of a drop OF
pond water under a high power lens, 1
noticed several rhizopodS busily feeding on
the minute buds of an alga. These rhizo-
pods suddenly drew in their hair-like hlaria
and sank to the bottom, TO all appear
ances dead. I soon discovered the cause
in the presence of a water louise, an AMI
NAL which feeds on these animalcules. 1t
likewise sank TO the bottom, and after look
ing at the rhizopods swan away, evil
IDENTIFY regarding them as dead and unfit
for food. The rhiZOpodS remained quiet for
several seconds, and then swan to the
alga and resumed feeding. This was
not an accidental occurrence, Tor
twice since L have been fortu-
nate enough to witness the same
wonderful performance. There were other
minute animals swimming in the drop of
water, but the rhiZOpOds fed on uncon-
cernedly until the shark Of the microscopic
sea appeared. They then recognized their
danger at once. and used the only means
in their power to escape. Through the
agency of what sense did these little Great
ures discover the approach of their enemy?
Is Ii possible that they and other like mi
croScOpic animals have eyes and ears so
exceedingly small that lenses Of the very
highest power cannot make them visible?
unknown and incapable of being appre-
ciated by man? Science can Meth ar affirm
nor deny these SuppOSitionS. The fact alone
remains that, through some sense, they dis
covered the presence Of the enemy, and
feigned death in order to escape.
Most animals are slain for food by other
animals. There is a continual struggle for
existence. Most of the carnivora and in
Sectivora prefer freshly-killed food 20 car
rion. They will not touch tainted meat
when they can procure fresh. 1t is a mis-
take to suppose that carnivora prefer such
their struggle for existence often compel
them to eat it. Dogs will occasionally take
IL, but Sparingly, and apparently as a
relish, just as we eat certain odoriferous
cheeSes. But carnivora and inSectivora
would rather do their own butchery; hence.
rently dead, they will leave II alone and
so in search of other quarry, unless they
are very hungry. Tainted flesh is a dan
gerous substance to go into most stomachs.
Certain ptomaines render, 1t sometimes very
poisonous. Long years of experience have
most of them let dead or seemingly dead
creatures severely alone.