Can you hypnotize a chicken by drawing a line in front of it? What kind of outrageous hypnosis is this?

In a video, we can see the following scene:

A chicken is caught, head down, close to the ground, and someone draws a line with a stick or chalk, and the chicken suddenly becomes as still as if hypnotized, and this state can last up to 30 minutes.

This is not some video effect or magic trick. Since this amazing chicken hypnosis trick was discovered, many people have tried it and found that it is indeed possible to hypnotize a chicken .

Can you hypnotize a chicken by drawing a line in front of it? | MinjungKim/youtube

This magical method triggered a "hypnosis craze" and the writer Hemingway wrote about it in a book.

Others have suggested that laying a chicken on its side on the ground for 30 seconds will also successfully induce hypnosis, and that the chicken can remain still for more than two hours.

But why can chickens be hypnotized? Is it really because people have mastered some amazing hypnotic technique?

Is chicken hypnosis science or metaphysics?

In fact, not only chickens, but many other animals can be easily "hypnotized". But in the eyes of animal behaviorists, animals that are motionless do not mean they are asleep, but rather a behavior of "playing dead".

Zoologists call it tonic immobility (TI), or death feigning. When some animals are threatened by the environment or predators, they enter a paralyzed state of immobility as a defense mechanism.

Swift in TI state: I'm dead, I just pretended.

Drawing chalk lines in front of chickens seems to be a way to get them to play dead. When faced with danger, playing dead may be an effective way to make predators lose interest.

However, the chicks in the static state are not "scared" or "waiting to die". Instead, they confuse predators by their motionless bodies , making them think they have "died" by sticking out their tongues, but in fact they remain awake at all times.

Not only do they pay close attention to their surroundings, they also occasionally make some neurological reactions in order to find the most appropriate opportunity to escape .

A meerkat pup played dead twice in front of a hornbill. | NatGeoWILD/youtube

A roaming possum in the wild accidentally bumped into a dog, but it had nowhere to hide. However, it still had one of its best defenses, which was "tanking." The possum fell to one side, stuck out its tongue, and its breathing became weaker and weaker. It fell to the ground motionless.

Tongue sticking out, drooling, motionless. | TheLilacBreasterRoller/flickr

After a few hours of being motionless, the opossum really looks like it's "dead". No matter if the enemy pokes it, kicks it, or even bites it, it won't react at all. It will also drool and produce feces, which is confusing as if it has died suddenly from poisoning. This scene will make even the most ferocious dog think: "It's gone."

Only when the danger is completely over will the opossum stand up and leave the scene , and this method can often resist the attack of most carnivores.

The opossum wakes up from playing dead and is very alert. | minx267/youtube

However, this is a skill that animals develop when they have no means of defense. The widely circulated saying "play dead when you encounter a bear in the wild" is still a bad strategy. The best way is to stay alert, avoid eye contact and use bear spray correctly.

In addition to being a defensive measure, "playing dead" also has other uses.

The genitals of a spider called Pisaura mirabilis play dead in order to mate.

When a male spider of the strange robber spider courts a female spider, he needs to bring a wedding gift. But this is often not enough, and the male spider may still be attacked or even eaten by the female spider. Therefore, "faking death" has become a mating strategy for male spiders.

Studies have shown that male spiders who play dead have a higher rate of mating success and their mating sessions last longer.

I want to find a partner who is an Oscar winner! | Giphy

There are many smarter species in the animal world, and there is also a species that "plays dead" to get food : there is a kind of snapper that pretends to be still and looks like it is dead. It even has spots on its body, which looks like a "rotten fish" that has been dead for a long time. At this time, the scavengers in the sea will be attracted, and the snapper will eat the scavengers in one bite.

These spots make the snapper look like a rotting "dead fish". | Wiki

However, there is also a situation that is exactly the opposite in the sea. Sometimes, "playing dead" may mean losing your life directly.

Whales often induce sharks to enter a state of "playing dead" before hunting them. For whales, sharks playing dead are like a piece of meat delivered to their mouths.

The behavior of playing dead exists in many animals, whether they are insects, fish, amphibians or even mammals, they have used this method to resist enemy attacks or achieve their own survival goals.

There are also great risks in giving up!

Some scientists also speculate that humans have a similar mechanism. When a victim is severely violated, he or she may become "stunned" : unable to move, unable to call for help, or even cry.

It's not that you don't resist, but that your body is dominated by a strong sense of fear , which can lead to a more dangerous situation.

As mentioned before, the method of pretending to be dead seems to be effective, but it is still a last resort, and it is only a helpless act when animals are desperate . No matter how good the acting skills are, there is still a great risk of being eaten by predators. No matter how good the "acting skills" are, they still can't beat the ones they can't beat.

Chicken: It’s not that your hypnosis skills are great, but my acting skills are really good!

Chicken: I should be the one with super powers!

Planning and production

Source: Bring Science Home (ID: steamforkids)

Editor: He Tong

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin