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The surprising reasons animals play dead - Tierney Thys

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TEDEd Animation

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From lemurs to lizards, ants to amphibians, sharks to chickens, hundreds of animals "play dead" as a survival tactic. But how and why do animals do this? Tierney Thys explains how this curious behavior, known as tonic immobility or TI for short, can be used as a defense or offense.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Tierney Thys
  • Director John R. Dilworth
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Animator John R. Dilworth
  • Compositor OG Marcontell
  • Sound Designer William Hohauser
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez

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