Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
**Correction: only 1 species in US not in North America as a whole.
merch: ze-true-store.myshopify.com
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sponsor music: incompetech.com
Credits:
Dr Giancarlo Carli, University of Siena
Dr William J. Krause, University of Missouri
Dr Kenneth Jones, DVM
Dr Carolin Dittrich, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Vincent Losasso Guanacaste Wildlife youtube.com/@Trailcampro
Amphibiansunrise youtube.com/@Amphibiansunrise
grbroussard youtube.com/@grbroussard
Bubba’s Homestead youtube.com/@bubbashomestead
Jennifer Burris youtube.com/@jenniferburris7789
Eddie Carter
Critter Dex youtube.com/@critterdex5495
Colin Ewington
Shawn Garvey
International Animal Rescue youtube.com/@InternationalAnimalRescue
Heindl Nature Preserve youtube.com/@HeindlNaturePreserve
Houston Museum of Natural Science youtube.com/@houstonmuseum
Mark Johnson
Latest Sightings youtube.com/@Latestsightings
Lost Pines Yaupon Tea youtube.com/@LostPinesYauponTea
Mississippi Wildlife youtube.com/@MississippiWildlife
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences youtube.com/@ncnaturalsciences
Reliably Random Outdoors youtube.com/@reliablyrandomoutdoors
Bill Richards
s34nVideos youtube.com/@s34nvideos
Texas Backyard Wildlife youtube.com/@TexasBackyardWildlife
The Trapper Guy youtube.com/c/TheTrapperGuy
Urban Jungle Wildlife Removal youtube.com/@urbanjunglewildliferemoval
victorjvideos youtube.com/@victorjvideos
Wild Education BC, reptileguy.ca
Wild Midwest youtube.com/@OOOAdventures
Getty Images
Shutterstock
iStock
Envato
Asakura, M et al. (2022). Freezing or death feigning? Beetles selected for long death feigning showed different tactics against different predators. Ecology and Evolution. 12. 10.1002/ece3.8533.
Burnett WE, Heinze J. Sperm bundles in the seminal vesicles of sexually mature Lasius ant males. PLoS One. 2014 Mar 26;9(3):e93383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093383.
Cardoso, D.C. et al. Death feigning in ants. Myrmecol. News 34: 45-56. 24 January 2024. doi: 10.25849/myrmecol.news_034:045
Cassill DL, et al. Young fire ant workers feign death and survive aggressive neighbors. Naturwissenschaften. 2008 Jul;95(7):617-24. doi: 10.1007/s00114-008-0362-3.
Cook, L.E. et al. Postnatal development in a marsupial model, the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata; Dasyuromorphia: Dasyuridae). Commun Biol 4, 1028 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02506-2
Dittrich C, Rödel MO. Drop dead! Female mate avoidance in an explosively breeding frog. R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Oct 11;10(10):230742. doi: 10.1098/rsos.230742.
Janssenswillen S, Bossuyt F. Male Courtship Pheromones Induce Cloacal Gaping in Female Newts (Salamandridae). PLoS One. 2016 Jan 15;11(1):e0144985. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144985.
Hwang JY, et al. Molecular Evolution of CatSper in Mammals and Function of Sperm Hyperactivation in Gray Short-Tailed Opossum. Cells. 2021 Apr 29;10(5):1047. doi: 10.3390/cells10051047.
Hwang, JY et al. (2021). Molecular Evolution of CatSper in Mammals and Function of Sperm Hyperactivation in Gray Short-Tailed Opossum. Cells. 10. 1047. 10.3390/cells10051047.
Masaki, Sakai (Editor). Death-Feigning in Insects: Mechanism and Function of Tonic Immobility, Entomology Monographs, doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6598-8
Mate KE et al. Timetable of in vivo embryonic development in the grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). doi: 10.1002/mrd.1080390404.
Moore HD, Taggart DA. Sperm pairing in the opossum increases the efficiency of sperm movement in a viscous environment. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod52.4.947.
Morcillo I Soler P, et al. Bundle formation of sperm: Influence of environmental factors. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.957684.
New DA et al. Growth of opossum embryos in vitro during organogenesis. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1977 Oct;41:111-23. PMID: 591864.
Nogueira, J.C. et al (1999). The penis morphology of Didelphis, Lutreolina, Metachirus and Caluromys (Marsupialia, Didelphidae). doi:10.1515/mamm.1999.63.1.79.
Taggart DA et al. Why do spermatozoa of American marsupials form pairs? A clue from the analysis of sperm-pairing in the epididymis of the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica. doi: 10.1002/ar.1092360307.
Ulate Gómez, TN et al. (2024). Short communication: Problems of classifying predator-induced prey immobility – an unexpected case of post-contact freezing. Web Ecology. 24. 35-40. 10.5194/we-24-35-2024.
Zhang K, et al. Locomotion of bovine spermatozoa during the transition from individual cells to bundles. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211911120.
**Correction: only 1 species in US not in North America as a whole.
merch: ze-true-store.myshopify.com
patreon: patreon.com/truefacts/posts
classical music: soundcloud.com/querflote/5-au
sponsor music: incompetech.com
Credits:
Dr Giancarlo Carli, University of Siena
Dr William J. Krause, University of Missouri
Dr Kenneth Jones, DVM
Dr Carolin Dittrich, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Vincent Losasso Guanacaste Wildlife youtube.com/@Trailcampro
Amphibiansunrise youtube.com/@Amphibiansunrise
grbroussard youtube.com/@grbroussard
Bubba’s Homestead youtube.com/@bubbashomestead
Jennifer Burris youtube.com/@jenniferburris7789
Eddie Carter
Critter Dex youtube.com/@critterdex5495
Colin Ewington
Shawn Garvey
International Animal Rescue youtube.com/@InternationalAnimalRescue
Heindl Nature Preserve youtube.com/@HeindlNaturePreserve
Houston Museum of Natural Science youtube.com/@houstonmuseum
Mark Johnson
Latest Sightings youtube.com/@Latestsightings
Lost Pines Yaupon Tea youtube.com/@LostPinesYauponTea
Mississippi Wildlife youtube.com/@MississippiWildlife
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences youtube.com/@ncnaturalsciences
Reliably Random Outdoors youtube.com/@reliablyrandomoutdoors
Bill Richards
s34nVideos youtube.com/@s34nvideos
Texas Backyard Wildlife youtube.com/@TexasBackyardWildlife
The Trapper Guy youtube.com/c/TheTrapperGuy
Urban Jungle Wildlife Removal youtube.com/@urbanjunglewildliferemoval
victorjvideos youtube.com/@victorjvideos
Wild Education BC, reptileguy.ca
Wild Midwest youtube.com/@OOOAdventures
Getty Images
Shutterstock
iStock
Envato
Asakura, M et al. (2022). Freezing or death feigning? Beetles selected for long death feigning showed different tactics against different predators. Ecology and Evolution. 12. 10.1002/ece3.8533.
Burnett WE, Heinze J. Sperm bundles in the seminal vesicles of sexually mature Lasius ant males. PLoS One. 2014 Mar 26;9(3):e93383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093383.
Cardoso, D.C. et al. Death feigning in ants. Myrmecol. News 34: 45-56. 24 January 2024. doi: 10.25849/myrmecol.news_034:045
Cassill DL, et al. Young fire ant workers feign death and survive aggressive neighbors. Naturwissenschaften. 2008 Jul;95(7):617-24. doi: 10.1007/s00114-008-0362-3.
Cook, L.E. et al. Postnatal development in a marsupial model, the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata; Dasyuromorphia: Dasyuridae). Commun Biol 4, 1028 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02506-2
Dittrich C, Rödel MO. Drop dead! Female mate avoidance in an explosively breeding frog. R Soc Open Sci. 2023 Oct 11;10(10):230742. doi: 10.1098/rsos.230742.
Janssenswillen S, Bossuyt F. Male Courtship Pheromones Induce Cloacal Gaping in Female Newts (Salamandridae). PLoS One. 2016 Jan 15;11(1):e0144985. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144985.
Hwang JY, et al. Molecular Evolution of CatSper in Mammals and Function of Sperm Hyperactivation in Gray Short-Tailed Opossum. Cells. 2021 Apr 29;10(5):1047. doi: 10.3390/cells10051047.
Hwang, JY et al. (2021). Molecular Evolution of CatSper in Mammals and Function of Sperm Hyperactivation in Gray Short-Tailed Opossum. Cells. 10. 1047. 10.3390/cells10051047.
Masaki, Sakai (Editor). Death-Feigning in Insects: Mechanism and Function of Tonic Immobility, Entomology Monographs, doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6598-8
Mate KE et al. Timetable of in vivo embryonic development in the grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). doi: 10.1002/mrd.1080390404.
Moore HD, Taggart DA. Sperm pairing in the opossum increases the efficiency of sperm movement in a viscous environment. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod52.4.947.
Morcillo I Soler P, et al. Bundle formation of sperm: Influence of environmental factors. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.957684.
New DA et al. Growth of opossum embryos in vitro during organogenesis. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1977 Oct;41:111-23. PMID: 591864.
Nogueira, J.C. et al (1999). The penis morphology of Didelphis, Lutreolina, Metachirus and Caluromys (Marsupialia, Didelphidae). doi:10.1515/mamm.1999.63.1.79.
Taggart DA et al. Why do spermatozoa of American marsupials form pairs? A clue from the analysis of sperm-pairing in the epididymis of the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica. doi: 10.1002/ar.1092360307.
Ulate Gómez, TN et al. (2024). Short communication: Problems of classifying predator-induced prey immobility – an unexpected case of post-contact freezing. Web Ecology. 24. 35-40. 10.5194/we-24-35-2024.
Zhang K, et al. Locomotion of bovine spermatozoa during the transition from individual cells to bundles. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211911120.
