Why does the playing dead technique actually work?

[Violent Rainbow]

I'm confused again, tell me why a fox chasing an opossum around will suddenly lose interest when the opossum it was chasing suddenly falls down dead? Isn't the goal of a predator to kill and eat the opossum? So when the thing you are chasing suddenly dies... why you not eating it? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE! You saw it alive second ago when it was running from you! It's not like you just stumble upon a corpse, you literally watched it "die" so eat it!

[Steve]

Bears like their meat to be "aged". Theoretically if you play dead, the bear will rough you up. Toss you around a bit. If you survive and he still thinks you're dead, he'll bury you in a shallow grave so he can come back after rigor sets in.

[Violent Rainbow]

Originally posted by Dr. Staten Island:

Bears like their meat to be "aged". Theoretically if you play dead, the bear will rough you up. Toss you around a bit. If you survive and he still thinks you're dead, he'll bury you in a shallow grave so he can come back after rigor sets in.

Bears got the right idea

[Xero_Daxter]

You can’t play dead with a black bear because they will just eat you.

[Steve]

Originally posted by Xero_Daxter:

You can’t play dead with a black bear because they will just eat you.

Bear spray can work on these bears. Grizzlies will just get pissed off and tear off your arms.

[Xero_Daxter]

Originally posted by Dr. Staten Island:

Originally posted by Xero_Daxter:

You can’t play dead with a black bear because they will just eat you.

Bear spray can work on these bears. Grizzlies will just get pissed off and tear off your arms.

I finally found out how big grizzly bears really are. They are 9 feet tall and can weight over 800 pounds.

I would get rag dolled.

[Violent Rainbow]

I agree with you guys, but again I'm confused about how this technique actually works. I understand if a predators comes across a dead possum stinking and laying in the grass, you wouldn't eat it because god knows how long it's been dead, but if you are a predator literally chasing a possum around and it falls down dead, which is when they do this, how are you immediately losing interest? You watched it running around, you know it was alive seconds ago, so why does it dying on it's own become an immediate problem? It seems like that would be beneficial to the predator. Are predatory animals just dumber than I think they are?

[Steve]

Originally posted by Violent Rainbow:

I agree with you guys, but again I'm confused about how this technique actually works. I understand if a predators comes across a dead possum stinking and laying in the grass, you wouldn't eat it because god knows how long it's been dead, but if you are a predator literally chasing a possum around and it falls down dead, which is when they do this, how are you immediately losing interest? You watched it running around, you know it was alive seconds ago, so why does it dying on it's own become an immediate problem? It seems like that would be beneficial to the predator. Are predatory animals just dumber than I think they are?

In truth, if I met a Grizzly I'd probably soil myself and cry for my mom before being eviscerated. I wouldn't have time to try playing dead, so I don't put much stock in it. It's just a theory.

[Triple G]

Originally posted by Xero_Daxter:

I would get rag dolled.

You could use superior Teakwondo techniques to counter that though. It´s good. I say that as a bearer of the white belt with yellow stripes.

Topic:
It probably only works on a few predators, who would be unable to see the prey - or just find that less interesting because of their personal preference, as they like the hunting process more, and think they need to earn the food due to their work ethics.

[HypersleepyNaputunia]

yeah grizzlies will get you if they make up their mind they dont like you

[Violent Rainbow]

Originally posted by Triple G:

Originally posted by Xero_Daxter:

I would get rag dolled.

You could use superior Teakwondo techniques to counter that though. It´s good. I say that as a bearer of the white belt with yellow stripes.

Topic:
It probably only works on a few predators, who would be unable to see the prey - or just find that less interesting because of their personal preference, as they like the hunting process more, and think they need to earn the food due to their work ethics.

That's not how it works though, opportunistic predators eat dead animals all the time it's not a new thing for them, bears for example, which is what everyone keeps bringing up for some reason, stash prey and eat it months later, so obviously dead prey is not an issue for them. So if a predator is actively pursuing living prey which then suddenly "dies" why do they lose interest? It makes no sense. I'm calling opossums out here people., this can't be allowed to continue.

[meucakesTM]

OT being a dating site, I would think it's obvious: The thrill is in the chase.

[abcd]

they're not actually hungry they're just defending their territory.

[Heitor Villa-Lobos]

Originally posted by Xero_Daxter:

I finally found out how big grizzly bears really are. They are 9 feet tall and can weight over 800 pounds.

I would get rag dolled.

Great, I'm still clueless.