Like a skilled stage actor, the peculiar hognose snake smears itself with dirt, slithers clumsily, then lies motionless, opens its mouth, flicks its tongue, feigns bleeding… to play dead.

A study just published in the scientific journal Biology Letters described the ability of dice snakes (Natrix tessellata), a non-venomous water snake species distributed across many countries in Asia, Europe, and North Africa, to play dead.

Dr. Vukasin Bjelica from the University of Belgrade and colleagues observed dice snakes living on Golem Grad – an island in a lake in North Macedonia – and found them to be skilled performers.

Most snake species flee or fight when attacked. But with this peculiar species, when cornered, it immediately… plays dead.

Led by Dr. Bjelica, the research team captured and tested 263 snakes, chasing and grabbing them around the middle of their bodies to provoke the most defensive behaviors.

Careful not to harm the snakes, they held them gently, lightly squeezed them, and stretched them out on the ground, mimicking the actions of a hesitant predator contemplating its prey.

According to The New York Times, this led to a series of astonishing behaviors, sometimes even causing laughter.

Nearly half of the snakes wriggled to smear themselves with a pungent mixture of musk and feces. Many began to slither erratically, lie still, gape their mouths, and stick out their tongues.

To add to the drama, some even pretended to have blood flowing from their mouths, foaming.

The authors describe this as a risky strategy, but effective when cornered with no escape route.

Some predators dislike rotting flesh and feel repulsed by a smelly, writhing creature, or one that looks dead.

Otherwise, it’s a golden opportunity for the snake because when the predator thinks the prey is dead, even if it doesn’t give up, it may become more lax, possibly loosening the encirclement and providing an opportunity for the snake to escape.

Many different species across the animal kingdom feign death when bothered by predators, including insects, fish, amphibians, and even some mammalian species.

The authors also note that the dice snakes on Golem Grad Island are an unusual population, often preyed upon by various bird species.

Therefore, it’s unclear whether dice snakes in other locations have such adept feigning behavior. Further research on multiple populations is needed to clarify the unique ability of this snake species.