Thanatosis

@article{Rogers2014Thanatosis,
  title={Thanatosis},
  author={Stephen M. Rogers and S J Michael Simpson},
  journal={Current Biology},
  year={2014},
  volume={24},
  pages={R1031-R1033}
}
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41 Citations
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Background Citations
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41 Citations

Dead snake! A strategy for survival: Thanatosis in some Panamanian snakes with a review of death-feigning in American snakes

Thanatosis (pretending to be dead), sometimes called letisimulation, is widely used as an anti-predator strategy by snakes. Herein we report six cases of death-feigning in six species of Panamanian…

A review of thanatosis (death feigning) as an anti-predator behaviour

It is demonstrated how apparently disparate observations in the recent literature can be synthesised through placing the behaviour within a cost-benefit framework in comparison to alternative behavioural choices, and how aspects of the ecology differentially affect costs and benefits.

Decision‐making and motor control in predatory insects: a review of the praying mantis

Predatory and defensive behaviours require multiple stages of decision‐making in predatory insects, such as the praying mantis, as well as in non‐predatory animals such as flies.

Aphids Playing Possum – Defensive or Mutualistic Response?

The phenomenon of thanatosis or death-feigning in selected aphids species can be linked to other defensive mechanisms existing in the studied species, as well as to their mutualistic relationship with ants.

Tonic Immobility Is Influenced by Starvation, Life Stage, and Body Mass in Ixodid Ticks

The identification and quantification of a novel antipredation strategy add a new component to the understanding of tick life history as ticks may become more aggressive in their search for a bloodmeal as they continue to starve.

Death feigning in sexual conflict between dragonflies (Odonata): does it exist?

It is reasoned how and under what circumstances males, if at all, are able to recognize immobile females and react to them and proposed a new term for it: ‘drop and stop’ behaviour.

Arousal from death feigning by vibrational stimuli: comparison of Tribolium species

Why there is a difference in the strength of the stimulus needed for arousal from death feigning among Tribolium species is discussed, and whether there was a positive association between intensity of stimulus needed to rouse and the duration ofdeath feigning is determined.

Arousal from death feigning by vibrational stimuli: comparison of Tribolium species

Why there is a difference in the strength of the stimulus needed for arousal from death feigning among Tribolium species is discussed, and whether there was a positive association between intensity of stimulus needed to rouse and the duration ofdeath feigning is determined.

The evolutionary origin of near-death experiences: a systematic investigation

It is proposed that the acquisition of language enabled humans to transform these events from relatively stereotyped death-feigning under predatory attacks into the rich perceptions that form near-death experiences and extend to non-predatory situations.

Death is common, so is understanding it: the concept of death in other species

It is argued that the CoD requires relatively little cognitive complexity and that it can emerge independently from mourning behaviour, and, so, it can expect to be fairly common in nature.

References

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Tonically immobilized selfish prey can survive by sacrificing others

The results suggest that immobility following a spider attack is selfish; death-feigning prey increase their probability of survival at the expense of more mobile neighbours, thus confirming the selfish-prey hypothesis.

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This article reviews research concerning the possible relationship between tonic immobility (TI) and human reactions to sexual assault. This review includes a description of the characteristic…

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