Tony Phelps / Grass snake female feigning death - defensive behaviour, UK

Gavin Hellier / People pretending to be statues - statue mimes at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, USA, June 2011

Denis-Huot / African Elephant (Loxodonta africana), young males playing and pretending to copulate. Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander / Passenger from the "Ocean Nova" pretending to tug the boat at Deception Island. South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, 2009.

Matthias Breiter / Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) pretending to be injured to lead intruder away from nest, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Niall Benvie / A group of Estonian school children pretending to be beavers by gnawing tree trunk that beavers had felled, Tartumaar, Estonia

Niall Benvie / A group of Estonian school children in the woods pretending to be bears, Tartumaa, Estonia

Michael D. Kern / Western hognose snake {Heterodon nasicus} upside down with mouth open feigning death, captive, from western USA

John Cancalosi / Close-up of Grass snake {Natrix natrix} defending itself from predators by feigning death. Sometimes it also emits a foul-smelling substance from its anal glands, making it smell like rotten meat. Eng...

John Cancalosi / Grass snake {Natrix natrix} laying on its back with mouth open and tongue hanging out, feigning death, England

PREMAPHOTOS / Weevil {Curculionoidae} 'playing' dead in defence, South Africa

Tom Vezo / Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) pretending to be wounded to distract predator from eggs and young, Long Island, New York

Tom Vezo / Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) pretending to be wounded to distract predator from eggs and young, Long Island, New York

Tom Vezo / Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) pretending to be wounded to distract predator from eggs and young, Long Island, New York

Tom Vezo / Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) pretending to be wounded to distract predator from eggs and young, Long Island, New York

John Downer Productions / Opossum feigns death by rolling over and lying still with mouth and eyes half open. Defensive tactic. (Resolution restriction - image digitised from film, 'Weird Nature' tv series)

Nature Production / Hover fly {Monoceromyia pleuralis} held by its wings, pretending to sting, Japan