Category: Mammals
Domestic cats are widely thought to have descended from the African wildcat (Felis sylvestris lybica), a species first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Middle East. They are thought to have been tolerated by ancient humans since they hunted vermin and eventually, through natural selection, diverged from their wild ancestors. Compared to dogs, cats have not undergone a great deal of change during the domestication process – they still retain their general wild form, hunting instincts, and highly acute senses. Even though cats sometimes live in colonies, they do not have a pack instinct and always hunt alone.
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The Opossum Ain’t Playing
Many people associate playing dead with the opossum - that’s where the term “playing opossum” comes from, after all. But something you might not know is that when an opossum feigns death, it really goes all out! Not content with merely closing its eyes and laying down, the opossum begins drooling profusely as if ill or even rabid, releases a putrid, greenish fluid from its anal glands that makes it smell like a decaying corpse, and after losing consciousness may even mimic rigor mortis! This is quite the elaborate routine, but it isn’t conscious: when an opossum plays dead, it has actually gone into shock due to stress.
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
