Opossums can “play dead” when threatened. However, this behavior is not a witting deception of its predator, but an involuntary, visceral act in which the possum loses consciousness and slips into a near-comatose state. Its lips curl back, its mouth foams, and its glands emit a noisome odor. During this time the possum can be poked, prodded, or even carried without its knowledge. It will eventually awake several minutes to hours after the spell.
1. Relating to, situated in, or affecting the viscera.
2. Perceived in or as if in the viscera; profound: “The scientific approach to life is not really appropriate to states of visceral anguish” (Anthony Burgess).
3. *Instinctive: visceral needs.