- \n
- \n
Kingdom<\/strong>: Animalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Phylum<\/strong>: Chordata<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Class<\/strong>: Mammalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Order<\/strong>: Didelphimorphia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Family<\/strong>: Didelphidae<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Common Species<\/strong>: Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Common Names<\/h4>\n
- \n
- \n
Opossum (often shortened to \u201cpossum\u201d in casual talk)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Virginia Opossum (most common in North America)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Backyard marsupial (nickname)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where do Opossums live?<\/h4>\n
Opossums are native to the Americas, especially North, Central, and South America. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n
They love wooded areas, but they’re also comfortable living near humans, in sheds, garages, and under decks.<\/p>\n
What do they look like?<\/h4>\n
Opossums have:<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
A pointed snout<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Grayish fur with a white face<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
A long, hairless tail they use to balance and grip<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Sharp claws for climbing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Black eyes and round ears<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
50 teeth\u2014more than any other land mammal in North America!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"File:Possum](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/f\/f8\/Possum_in_tree_at_night_%282008%29.jpg\/1280px-Possum_in_tree_at_night_%282008%29.jpg\")
Image showing an Opossum climbing a tree at night (Source: Wikimedia Commons)<\/em><\/p>\nMarsupial Magic<\/h4>\n
Like kangaroos, opossums are marsupials, mothers carry their babies in a pouch after birth.<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Baby opossums are called joeys<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
They\u2019re the size of a honeybee at birth!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
They live in the pouch for about 2 months, then ride on mom\u2019s back<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Species of Opossums<\/h4>\n
There are over 100 species<\/strong> of opossums! But here are two well-known types:<\/p>\n
1. Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana<\/em>)<\/h5>\n
- \n
- \n
The most familiar species in the U.S.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Famous for “playing dead”<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Opossum](\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/thmb\/Se9-6C7jEQgSySxRzHTivCpkWs0=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/GettyImages-520069324-70317f7cef6a4db486721382c320aa78.jpg\")
Image showing a Virginia Opossum lying on its side (Source: ThoughtCo)<\/em><\/p>\nQuick Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Size: Cat-sized<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Nocturnal (active at night)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Solitary and shy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Eats anything\u2014fruits, insects, small animals, garbage<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis<\/em>)<\/h5>\n
- \n
- \n
Found in Central and South America<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Looks similar to Virginia opossum<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Lives in forests and rural areas<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Opossums:](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5585a9bae4b08677430390e7\/1603235442905-7MQKFFCOT1OHOEBSLN80\/oppossum+release1.JPG\")
Image showing a\u00a0 common opossum near tree roots (Source: Fox Run Environmental Education Center)<\/em><\/p>\nSuperpowers of the Opossum<\/h4>\n
- \n
- \n
Plays dead (called \u201cplaying possum\u201d) to escape predators<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Immune to many snake venoms (including rattlesnake and coral snake)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Eats snakes, rats, ticks, and cockroaches, great for pest control<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
\u00a0Excellent memory for food locations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Very resistant to rabies<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do they make good pets?<\/h4>\n
Not really. Opossums are wild animals and don\u2019t usually thrive as pets.<\/p>\n
But wildlife rehabbers and special vet clinics may care for injured or orphaned opossums. In some places, it\u2019s illegal to keep one without a permit.<\/p>\n
Opossum Health & Veterinary Care<\/h4>\n
If you encounter an opossum needing help:<\/p>\n
- \n
- \n
Call a licensed wildlife rehabber or exotic vet<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Avoid handling bare-handed, they can bite<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
They may look sick when just \u201cplaying dead\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Watch for signs of trauma, limping, or flystrike (maggots)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conservation & Importance<\/h4>\n
- \n
- \n
Most opossums are not endangered<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
They\u2019re often misunderstood or feared, but they play a key role in ecosystems<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Help control pests and clean up waste<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Related Animals<\/h4>\n
- \n
- \n
Other marsupials: Kangaroo, koala, sugar glider<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Not related to \u201cAustralian possum\u201d (different animal)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Opposums](\"https:\/\/preview.redd.it\/gw8ibwkfksc71.jpg?auto=webp&s=dcbd56de17f42371e8f023543b5b316f5808fcb4\")
Image showing an opossum carrying babies on it’s back (Source: Reddit).<\/em><\/p>\nIf you have questions about this animal or you need special care for your pet, you can reach out to use at Doctor Hulk Veterinary Hospital,<\/strong> or call 08143397614.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An opossum is a type of marsupial, which means it’s a mammal that carries and nurses its babies in a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":30726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[165],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-29897","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-o","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"shipping-taxable","11":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29897"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30833,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29897\/revisions\/30833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=29897"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=29897"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=29897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n
- \n