Why did it pretend to be dead?

Question

I saw a woodlice walking across the floor so i flipped it on its back to see what it would do,its legs curled in and it played dead,until five minutes later i poked it with a pen and it got back up,why did it do that?

Answer 1

Nature protecting itself!  

Answer 2

That's what bugs do.

Answer 3

self defense.most predatory animals,especially insects,do this.

it pretends to be dead so predators will leave it alone.most predators do not like their prey DEAD.they like to hunt and KILL the prey themselves so if a prey LOOKS dead,they will most likely leave it alone.

best of wishes!

Answer 4

It didn't want you to kill it

Answer 5

Self-defense mechanism. It wants you to think it is dead and leave it alone.  

Answer 6

so you wouldnt kill it if you already thought it was dead

Answer 7

think it was just its way of hiding  

Answer 8

self-defence --- like lizards some times do!

Answer 9

It is a defence against predators. Some predators instinctively chase things which move. If it isn't moving it won't get chased. Just as the predator chases instinctively, the predated instinctively tries to evade capture.

Answer 10

Maybe it doesnt like you

J/K

Answer 11

what is a woodlice?

Answer 12

it probably did that so you would leave it alone, played dead so you would think it was dead you know? You should just killed it anyways crush it so it last few seconds of life would be full of pain and thoughts of how its simple plan of survival didn't work.