This snake goes to extremes to play dead — and it appears to pay off
A bloody mouth and a poop-covered body seem to help the dice snake quickly escape predators
![A photo of a greenish-brown dice snake with blood in its mouth](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Some dice snakes fake death by filling their mouth with blood (shown) and smearing themselves in musk and poop — a trifecta of tricks that may help the snakes quickly escape predators.
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