Tonic immobility can be induced without causing any apparent stress to the animal. For example, stroking a particular area of a lobster's shell or focusing a hen's attention on a line on the ground.
Tonic immobility has also been said to occur in humans that are subject to intense trauma, such as rape or sexual assault. Catatonia in humans is a serious semi-permanent psychiatric state.
Some sharks can be placed in a tonic state. The shark remains in this state of paralysis for an average of fifteen minutes before it recovers. Scientists have exploited this phenomenon to study shark behaviour.
Some sharks go into tonic immobility when they are turned upside down. With tiger sharks 3–4 metres (10 to 15 feet) in length, tonic immobility may be achieved by placing hands lightly on the sides of the animal's snout approximate to the general area surrounding its eyes. Scientists believe that tonic immobility in sharks may be related to mating, because female sharks seem more responsive than males. During tonic immobility, the dorsal fin(s) straighten, and both breathing and muscle contractions become more steady and relaxed.
Great White Sharks are not so responsive as other species when tonic immobility has been attempted. In an interesting eye witness case off the coast of California, a female orca was seen holding the shark upside down to induce tonic immobility. It kept the shark still for fifteen minutes, causing it to suffocate to death. This was the first recorded eye witness case of predation on a great white shark in the wild by a species other than humans. Another case of orcas purposely inducing tonic immobility in fish has been seen with stingrays in New Zealand. In this case, the orcas turn themselves upside down before attacking, trap the stingrays in their mouths, then quickly right themselves, in turn flipping the stingray over, inducing the tonic immobility, rendering the fish helpless and an easy meal.
A chicken can be "hypnotized", or put into a trance, by holding its head down against the ground, and drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at the beak and extending straight outward in front of the chicken. If the chicken is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds and 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line. One theory is that the trance is caused by fear, which is probably a defensive mechanism intended to feign death, albeit rather poorly.
The first known written reference for this method came in 1646, in "Mirabile Experimentum de Imaginatione Gallinae" by Athanasius Kircher in Rome.
Another hypnosis technique is to hold the chicken face up with its back on the ground, and then run a finger downwards from the chicken's wattles to just above its vent. The chicken's feet are exposed, which facilitates the application of medication for foot mites, etc. Clapping hands or giving the chicken a gentle shove will awaken it.
One can also hypnotize a chicken by mimicking how it sleeps with its head under its wing. In this method, hold the bird firmly, placing its head under its wing, then, gently rock the chicken back and forth and set it very carefully on the ground. It should stay in the same position for about 30 seconds. H.B. Gibson, in his book "Hypnosis: its nature and therapeutic uses", says the record period for a chicken remaining in hypnosis is 3 hours 47 minutes.
Trout tickling is the art of rubbing the underbelly of a trout using fingers. If done properly, the trout will go into a trance-like state after a minute or so, and can then easily be thrown onto the nearest bit of dry land.
The rationale for the tonic immobility test is that the experimenter simulates a predator thereby eliciting an anti-predator response "death feigning". The precept is that the prey animal 'pretends' to be dead to be able to escape when/if the predator relaxes its concentration. Death feigning birds often take advantage of escape opportunities; tonic immobility in quail reduces the probability of the birds being predated by cats.
To induce tonic immobility, the animal is gently restrained on its side or back for a period of time, e.g. 15 seconds. This is done either on a firm, flat surface or sometimes in a purpose-built ‘V’ or ‘U’-shaped restraining cradle. In rodents, the response is sometimes induced by additionally pinching or attaching a clamp to the skin at the nape of the neck. Scientists record behaviours, such as the number of inductions (15 second restraining periods) required for the animal to remain still, the latency to the first major movements (often cycling motions of the legs), latency to first head or eye movements and the duration of immobility, sometimes called the ‘righting time’.
Tonic immobility has been used to show that hens in cages are more fearful than those in pens. Hens on the top tier of tiered battery cages are more fearful than those on the lower levels. Hens carried by hand are more fearful than hens carried on a mechanical conveyor. Hens transported for longer times are more fearful than those transported for shorter times.
Tonic immobility as a scientific tool has also been used with mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, rats, rabbits.pigs and monkeys.
God's Gonna Cut You Down
"God's Gonna Cut You Down", also known as "Run On" and "Run On for a Long Time", is a traditional folk song which has been recorded by many artists representing many genres. The lyrics are a warning to sinners that no matter how hard they try, they will not avoid God's judgment. Johnny Cash sang this song for an album called "" (2006).
Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song)
"Hurt" is a song written by Trent Reznor. It was first released on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album "The Downward Spiral". It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Song in 1996 but lost to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know".
Originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails, the song "Hurt" has been adapted and covered by several artists, including Johnny Cash and Leona Lewis. The song clearly includes references to self-harm and heroin addiction, although the overall meaning of the song is unknown.
In 2002, Johnny Cash covered the song for his album, "". The line "crown of shit" was changed to "crown of thorns", not only removing profanity from the lyrics, but also more directly referencing Christ and Cash's devout Christianity. Its accompanying video, featuring images from Cash's life and directed by Mark Romanek, was named the best video of the year by the Grammy Awards and CMA Awards, and the best video of all time by "NME" in July 2011. The cover was released on a single with the B-side 'Personal Jesus', a cover of the Depeche Mode single.
Folsom Prison Blues
"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Johnny Cash. The song combines two popular folk genres, the train song and the prison song. Cash would continue to use these genres for the rest of his career. It became one of Cash's best known songs.
Man in Black (song)
"Man in Black" (or "The Man in Black") is a song written and sung by Johnny Cash. The song was said to be based on Cash himself. It was originally released on his 1971 album of the same name. Cash himself was known as "The Man in Black" for his distinctive style of on-stage costuming. It was one of Cash's famous songs.
Kingsland, Arkansas
Kingsland is a city in Cleveland County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 447 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is famous as the birthplace of legendary country music artist Johnny Cash.
Vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction occurs when blood vessels become narrower because of the tightening of the muscles in their walls. Its opposite is vasodilation, which is when blood vessels widen. For example, when you are cold, blood vessels near the skin vasoconstrict so that you don't lose too much heat from your blood.