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In the Wild■
My first up-close encounter with an opossum took place years ago, when I
went to get feed for our horses one evening. I was used to seeing these hairy,
grayish animals flattened on the road, their lives abruptly and unceremoniously
ended while out on a nightly prowl, but I was not expecting to see an 18-inch-
long freeloader wedged under the feed bin. I walked over for a closer look, which
prompted a couple of low hisses, but it didn’t move. The poor animal was prob-
ably as surprised to see me as I was to see it. I’d unknowingly put out the opos-
sum welcome mat when I forgot to close the feed room door that morning.
About the size of a large house cat, the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virgin-
iana) is North America’s only marsupial — a mammal that carries and nurses its
young in a pouch. One of Earth’s oldest surviving mammals, the opossum has
been around for at least 65 million years, having first appeared in North America
about the time dinosaurs went extinct. With little need to evolve in order to
survive, the modern-day opossum is somewhat of a living fossil, having retained
many of the features of the earliest known marsupials.THE MISUNDERSTOOD MARSUPIAL
Gentle opossums can bring benefits to your property,
especially when it comes to eating ticks and other pests.
By Jo Ann AbellThe critter received its unusual
name in 1608 from Captain John
Smith, one of the British settlers of
Jamestown, Virginia. The colonists
traded with the Algonquin tribes,
and the opossum got its name from
their word apasum, meaning “white
animal.” These mammals are found
in the United States east of the Rocky
Mountains and along the West Coast,
as well as in Mexico, Central Amer-
ica, and British Columbia. In North
America, they’re typically referred to
as the North American opossum, or
merely “possum.”Opossum Particulars
These habitat generalists can live
in a wide range of settings, including
wooded areas, open fields, farmland,
parks, and even in suburbs and cities,
most often near water. They take
shelter in the abandoned burrows of
other animals, as well as in hollow
trees, in brush and rock piles, under
porches and storage sheds, in crawl
spaces, and occasionally in attics and
garages, if they can gain access.
They’re excellent climbers because
of their opposable “thumbs,” which
are actually clawless digits on their
rear feet (so, technically, they’re
toes). This adaptation helps them
flee up trees, and also allows them
to scale wood or wire fences, gut-
ters, and more. Their prehensile tails
are similar to a monkey’s, and they
use them to grasp and wrap around
things, such as tree limbs.
Nomadic opossums tend to stay in
an area only as long as food and water
are available. Females may remain in
a small area while they care for their
young, and families will sometimes
group together in ready-made bur-
rows or even under houses until their
young go out on their own. They favor
dark, secure areas, both aboveground
and belowground.
Not true hibernators, opossums
simply take long naps in winter. These
semihibernators, a group that also
includes bears, skunks, and raccoons,