Playing Dead

I grew up on a farm and from a young age knew about animals,both domestic and wild but I only recently discovered that opossums don't play dead (play opossum) they actually enter a state similar to fainting that can last from less than a minute to six hours. It immediately made sense when I read that as anyone that has been around opossums know they aren't the sharpest tool in the shed (small primitive brain). In case you also believe the way opossums are depicted hanging from their tails sleeping,that is also a misconception. Their tails are not strong enough to hold the weight of an adult,the young can hang from their tails but can not sleep that way. Opossums are highly disease resistant due to their low body temperature,they rarely contract rabies and can survive most venomous snake bites. Their disease resistance coupled with their being mainly scavengers and with their 50 teeth (more than any mammal) they bring new meaning to the word omnivore,and could be the reason that fossil remains have been found dating them back to 70 million years ago. Once the Earth is no longer able to support human life forms we can rest assured that the opossum and the cockroach will still be thriving...and who knows? maybe telemarketers.