OPOSSUMS

"Nature's Little Sanitation Engineer"

NAMES:

Scientific Name: Didelphis (double womb) Virginiana (Virginia)
Algonquin Indian Name: apasum (white animal)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Opossums date all the way back to the time of the dinosaurs! They are one of the most common species in North America. Like the kangaroo, the opossum is a marsupial. This means they have an abdominal pouch to carry and feed their offspring for a short time after their birth. The Opossum is the only North American marsupial.

With its pink nose and yellow-white head, the opossum can weigh up to 15 pounds. Males are larger than females and they are approximately 2 to 3 feet long. Their bodies are gray except for the hairless ears and tail, and their eyes are large and black. The life span of opossums has been shortened to 1-2 years because of so many interactions with predators such as dogs, coyotes, cats, and humans.

Many believe that opossums hang upside-down by their tails for long periods of time. However, the most common position an opossum can be found in, is its "playing possum" pose. When opossums are frightened they lay on the ground as if they are dead and stick their tongues out! By doing this, they hope that predators will pass them by. Another way of defending themselves is to gape their mouth wide open and drool. Drooling makes their predators think they are sick, and therefore, unappetizing. They also can spray a smelly green liquid out of their anal passage to scare off predators.
REPRODUCTION

Opossums mate at the end of winter. After 13 days of pregnancy, the babies are born and crawl into the pouch on the mother's belly. They stay in the pouch to nourish their bodies for 60 days. After 80 days their eyes now open, the young are developed enough to leave the pouch. The young stay with their mother for approximately 100 more days before venturing off on their own.

EATING AND LIVING HABITS:

Opossums prefer to live in primary deciduous lowland forests, near a water source. They seek shelter in tiny caves between rocks, under trash piles, and in the middle of dead trees. Opossums are very handy with their feet and are very efficient climbers. Their hind feet have opposable toes that hold on to branches while their curly tail holds their food, or grass for their nests.

Opossums are nocturnal. They feed on dead animals, frogs, worms, and eggs, and insects such as cockroaches, crickets, and beetles. In the winter when food is scarce, they eat corn, mice, rats, and other small rodents. They use the corn husks to add comfort to their nests. Opossums' favorite snacks are snails!

OPOSSUM DAMAGE:

Opossums are attracted to urban areas and neighborhoods because of the waste the ready meals. There is plenty of water available, and the garbage attracts mice and rats for them to eat. Houses also provide the perfect caves (beneath porches and decks) for them to hide in.

When an opossum resides beneath a porch or deck, it begins to make its nest by digging and altering the ground beneath the house. This can do great damage to the foundation of the house as it slowly becomes unsteady.

Because opossums' main cuisine is dead animals, it is common for them to carry deadly diseases. The opossum can eat a diseased rat, travel back to its home beneath the deck, and die from the disease. This poses a very costly problem to the people living above, who must now pay to have the dead animal removed, sanitize the area, and rebuild the foundation of the house.

THANKS TO OPOSSUMS...

Although opossums can cause a lot of damage, they also contribute a lot to the urban society. They eat diseased rodents that pose health risks to humans and other animals. They also help rid the streets of unwanted roadkill. From this, the opossum is nicknamed "Nature's Little Sanitation Engineer!"

CREDITS:

www.animals-b-gone.com
www.opossumsocietyus.org/opossum.html

Written by Sara Galles, Special Assistant to the Branch Coordinator, ABC Humane Wildlife.

OTHER REFERENCES INCLUDE:

Websmaster Tom Williams- Animals-B-Gone.