Possums are well known for ‘playing dead’ when they are in danger. That is however, not accurate. Possums don’t play dead. They go into a state of shock when they are under a lot of stress. Although not dead, the possum will be found lying on it's side with it's legs extended. It is limp and unconscious during this time, but it is not a deliberate act – it actually fainted!
This is supposed to be a defense mechanism and it does discourage natural predators from chasing a possum that is no longer running, but it also makes the poor animal vulnerable in human-related instances. Often when drivers see a limp possum in the road, they just assume it is dead and do not bother to swerve to avoid it. There also have been reports of well-intentioned people shooting an unconscious possum to ‘put it out of it's misery’.
Possums do not hang by their tails when sleeping. Although cartoons often depict that myth, the muscles in the possum’s tail are not strong enough to support an adult’s weight for more than a short moment.
