Weevil wheeze: staying alive by feigning death

Thorsgill wood, Teesdale At the first touch of my fingers the vine weevil fell to the ground and pretended to be dead

The vine weevil must have crawled on to my sleeve when I sat down among the fading primroses to re-tie my bootlace. At the first touch of my fingers it fell to the ground and pretended to be dead.

There's a name for this stress-induced immobility in animals: thanatosis, after Thanatos, the ancient Greek deity of death. Its most famous exponents are opossums, whose behaviour gave rise to the phrase "playing possum". But weevils are well equipped for this deception too. All they need do is tuck their legs under their barrel-shaped bodies, then they naturally roll on to their backs. Being flightless and ponderous walkers they have no other options when threatened.