If Hollywood ever needs a ‘scaly actor’, this snake might just be the perfect fit—or so social media users believe after a dramatic video of the reptile went viral. The clip shows a pet snake lounging on the floor, only to play ‘dead’ when its human companion approaches and touches it. Yes, you read that right—picture it if you must!
The video, posted by the Instagram account ‘Pubity,’ quickly became viral, getting over a million likes in just two days. The caption for the video is as follows: “My snake learned how to play dead and now he does it every time I get close to him.”
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Although some were totally charmed by the drama presented by the snake, some criticized it saying the snake could actually be dramatic, for no obvious reason at all. According to other speculators, it’s doing that due to fear.
Here’s a quote from a commenter: “Cute? Survival tactic. Only when they’re really, really stressed and scared.” Another said, “I was just reading something about creatures that practice deception as a survival technique. The book mentioned snake varieties that represent themselves as being dead when they feel threatened, as it’s a form of saving themselves. It’s not a learned ‘trick’ because it’s cute—it’s an innate response to their fear.”
However, not everyone was freaked out. “That is so freaking adorable,” said the third one.
It is not rare to find videos of animals acting in this manner on social media. Studies have shown that “playing dead” is a common instinctive response to danger, and it is used by many species as a survival mechanism. This viral snake video is just another example of how animals instinctively react to stress or threats in their environment.