True Facts: Not-Dead Opossums and Their Weird Defenses

Go to https://brilliant.org/zefrank to get a 30-day free trial + 20% off their annual subscription.

merch: https://ze-true-store.myshopify.com/
patreon: https://www.patreon.com/truefacts/posts
classical music: https://soundcloud.com/querflote/5-au
sponsor music: https://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 https://www.youtube.com/@Trailcampro
Amphibiansunrise https://www.youtube.com/@Amphibiansunrise
grbroussard https://www.youtube.com/@grbroussard
Bubba’s Homestead https://www.youtube.com/@bubbashomestead
Jennifer Burris https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferburris7789
Eddie Carter
Critter Dex https://www.youtube.com/@critterdex5495
Colin Ewington
Shawn Garvey
International Animal Rescue https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalAnimalRescue
Heindl Nature Preserve https://www.youtube.com/@HeindlNaturePreserve
Houston Museum of Natural Science https://www.youtube.com/@houstonmuseum
Mark Johnson
Latest Sightings https://www.youtube.com/@Latestsightings
Lost Pines Yaupon Tea https://www.youtube.com/@Lostpinesyaupontea_drinkme
Mississippi Wildlife https://www.youtube.com/@MississippiWildlife
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences https://www.youtube.com/@ncnaturalsciences
Reliably Random Outdoors https://www.youtube.com/@reliablyrandomoutdoors
Bill Richards
s34nVideos https://www.youtube.com/@s34nvideos
Texas Backyard Wildlife https://www.youtube.com/@TexasBackyardWildlife
The Trapper Guy https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTrapperGuy
Urban Jungle Wildlife Removal https://www.youtube.com/@urbanjunglewildliferemoval
victorjvideos https://www.youtube.com/@victorjvideos
Wild Education BC, https://reptileguy.ca/
Wild Midwest https://www.youtube.com/@Wild-Midwest
Getty Images
Shutterstock
iStock
Envato

Citations:

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). https://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, https://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. Receive SMS online on sms24.me

TubeReader video aggregator is a website that collects and organizes online videos from the YouTube source. Video aggregation is done for different purposes, and TubeReader take different approaches to achieve their purpose.

Our try to collect videos of high quality or interest for visitors to view; the collection may be made by editors or may be based on community votes.

Another method is to base the collection on those videos most viewed, either at the aggregator site or at various popular video hosting sites.

TubeReader site exists to allow users to collect their own sets of videos, for personal use as well as for browsing and viewing by others; TubeReader can develop online communities around video sharing.

Our site allow users to create a personalized video playlist, for personal use as well as for browsing and viewing by others.

@YouTubeReaderBot allows you to subscribe to Youtube channels.

By using @YouTubeReaderBot Bot you agree with YouTube Terms of Service.

Use the @YouTubeReaderBot telegram bot to be the first to be notified when new videos are released on your favorite channels.

Look for new videos or channels and share them with your friends.

You can start using our bot from this video, subscribe now to True Facts: Not-Dead Opossums and Their Weird Defenses

What is YouTube?

YouTube is a free video sharing website that makes it easy to watch online videos. You can even create and upload your own videos to share with others. Originally created in 2005, YouTube is now one of the most popular sites on the Web, with visitors watching around 6 billion hours of video every month.