The Art of Deception: Snakes and the Defense Mechanism of Playing Dead

The dice snake on Golem Grad Island, an island in North Macedonia, is known for its unique defense mechanism. When threatened by predators, it uses a mixture of feces and pungent compounds to foul itself, then pretends to be dead by lying motionless with its mouth open and tongue sticking out. Some snakes even vomit blood to complete the act.

Playing dead as a defense mechanism has been shown to be effective for many species across the animal kingdom. A study published in Biology Letters on May 8 highlighted the effectiveness of this strategy in helping animals avoid predation. Vukasin Bjelica, a PhD student and author of the paper, studied the behavior of dice snakes on Golem Grad Island, specifically their ability to play dead when threatened by birds.

Bjelica’s research involved capturing and examining 263 snakes to observe their defensive behaviors when provoked. The snakes displayed various tactics such as smearing feces and pungent compounds on their bodies, spitting blood, and playing dead. The study found that adult snakes were more likely to successfully pretend to be dead while immature snakes did so for a shorter time.

The strategy of playing dead seems most effective for dice snakes on Golem Grad Island where they are hunted by birds. However, further research on snake populations in other environments is needed to fully understand this behavior. Playing dead can be a risky but effective way for dice snakes to ward off predators and increase their chances of survival.

In conclusion, playing dead as a defense mechanism is not only used by dice snakes on Golem Grad Island but also many other species across the animal kingdom. It may seem counterintuitive that playing dead could be an effective way of escaping predators but studies have shown that it can indeed help animals survive when they are threatened or attacked by predators.