Opossum (Didelphus virginianus)

The opossum is one of strangest animals. It has a pouch for its children like a kangaroo, making it the only marsupial in the United States. It also has a prehensile end like a monkey. This means it can use its tail like another hand to pick up things or hold onto branches. It also has an opposable thumb on its back feet. People have opposable thumbs; we can fold our thumb across the palm of our hand.

The opossum is about the size of a cat (4 - 14 pounds) and has rough grayish-black fur. It has a white face, a pink nose, and a long hairless, pink tail. This animal is well-known for "playing possum" or play to be dead when it is in danger. They don’t always play possum, though. Instead, they might hiss and drool and try to scare a risky animal away. They can also try to run up a tree or jump into a hole.

HABITAT, FEEDING:

The opossum lives all over the south central and eastern US and in California. Once it gets into the northern states, it can survive, but it gets frostbite on its ears and tail, because there is no hair to protect those parts of its body. It lives in the same habitats as raccoons, and eats many of the same foods. They are solitary, living alone most of the time. These animals are rather slow-moving, but they can run, swim, and climb if they have to. Their sense of earshot helps them to find and avoid unsafe predators, and their sense of smell helps them to find food. They are opportunistic feeders, which mean they will eat about anything they can find. They are also omnivorous, eating plants and animals.

REPRODUCTION:

Opossums may have three sets of babies each year, but generally only have two. Thirteen days after the female becomes pregnant, six to sixteen tiny babies are born. After that, they have fur and crawl out of the pouch. Their mother will carry them on her back, and after 2 more weeks, they are ready to eat grown-up foods. In one more month they are totally grown up and on their own. Their whole childhood lasts only 3 1/2 months. Females are reproductively mature by seven months old, so they may even have their own babies that year.