The Awesome Opossum
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Where is the Possum?
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| GLOSSARY |
| Carrion |
The dead flesh of an animal |
| Mammal |
Animals that nourish their young with milk from mammary glands, and that have hair on their skin |
| Marsupial |
Having a pouch for carrying their young. |
| Nocturnal |
Performing most of their activities at night. |
| Omnivorous |
Feeding on both animal and vegetable substances. |
| Prehensile Tail |
A tail adapted for seizing or grasping by wrapping around. |
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Opossums are found throughout Ohio. They live in the wooded areas of all Ohio State Parks (except for the islands on Lake Erie), farmlands, suburbs and they even live side by side with people in the cities.
A heavy set, cat size body with thick gray-white fur and a white face are typical of the opossum. They have a long, pointed nose. Opossums have claim to the most teeth found in a mammal in North America. Underneath its pink nose, is a set of 50 very sharp teeth!
In addition to having the most teeth in a mammal in North America, opossums are the only marsupial in North America. This means they have a pouch like a kangaroo. Their babies spend 6 to 8 weeks in their mom’s pouch after they are born, and then another 1 to 2 months riding around on her back!
Their prehensile tail has no fur and appears scaly. It can be used like an extra foot, holding on to branches and assisting with climbing. Each of their feet has five toes and on its hind feet, its big toe is opposite its other toes, like a hand. This enables it to grasp tree branches, or whatever else it may be clinging to.
Opossums are omnivorous, which means they eat meat as well as fruits and vegetation. Their favorite foods are insects, small rodents and fruits. They also are known for eating carrion (dead animals). Opossums are famous for raiding gardens and leaving behind half eaten tomatoes!
The opossum is nocturnal, which means it likes to do its roaming and eating at night. Females live in groups, but males may fight when they are put together.
When threatened, opossums can be very aggressive. If their attempts to defend themselves fail, opossums “play ‘possum”! They fall over, become stiff and their breathing becomes very slow, making their attacker think they are dead. They can stay this way for up to a few hours!
Aren’t opossums awesome?
All photos courtesy of The Opossum Society of the United States
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