Opossum’s Apolitical Strike Endures for Three Hours

Just as humans express their dissatisfaction through protests and strikes, animals too have ways to communicate their displeasure, albeit in a more subtle manner. For instance, the opossum, when confronted with an unfavorable situation, possesses certain mechanisms to express its discontent.

Ever wondered how an opossum would react if it was mistreated at its hypothetical job? The possibility might not have crossed your mind before, but here’s an interesting scenario.

If an opossum feels exploited, it has two choices: to surrender or to resist. If it chooses resistance, it starts a sequence of actions to express its discontentment.

The opossum first displays its seriousness by baring its teeth and fluffing its fur, followed by loud hissing. If these actions fail to yield desired results, the opossum resorts to more explicit measures. It starts to drool excessively and emits an unpleasant odor. This marks a significant escalation in the negotiations.

As a last resort, the opossum plays dead. It mimics the appearance and behavior of a carcass, lying motionless and emitting a strong smell. This is the opossum’s ultimate form of protest, a complete strike.

This passive protest usually lasts for about three hours, after which the opossum resumes its regular activities.

While this defensive mechanism is effective against predators, it doesn’t work well with humans. There have been instances when an opossum has been found lying in the middle of a highway, mimicking death, causing a traffic disruption. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in the opossum getting run over.

To avoid such unfortunate incidents, opossums could benefit from a guard, and the mongoose would be a suitable candidate for this role.

As social animals, mongooses understand the power of unity. They take care of each other and keep watch for any potential threats. In a group of mongooses, one can always find a vigilant member standing on a rock or stump, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.

Furthermore, mongooses are fearless. If the situation calls for it, they can even kill a snake.

In a group of mongooses, there is a clear division of labor. The dominant pair reproduces, while the others help in caring for the offspring. However, just like in human societies, some mongooses are more selfish than others, showing that the distribution of resources is not always fair in the animal kingdom either.