Baby Possum

03.27.2006 - I made a baby possum sighting, so I grabbed it and got some fighting, both with scratching and with biting, so now I'll do some possum writing. Baby possum on my shoulder, he is young but I am older, I am shy but he is bolder, my shoulder is a possum holder.  Baby possum climbs on me, I am big but he is wee, he is too young to be set free, he and I will drink some tea.  Baby possum tiny tail, tiny hands sized to scale, little bones are thin and frail, he does not belong in possum jail.  Baby possum is a clinger, he hangs around upon my finger, from his tail he is a swinger, from his mouth he is a singer.  Baby possum from possum land, five small fingers on each hand, digs about beneath the sand, plays in a merry possum band.  Baby possum mates through the nose, or that's how the story goes, I think that the story blows, that's the end of possum prose. I really have nothing to say about this baby opossum.  Someone called me because it was in their garage, up on a shelf.  I removed it, and now I will bring it to a wildlife rehabber.  She will raise it for a short while and set it free in the wild.  Opossums are very self-sufficient, and they leave their mother at a tender young age.  So the opossum in this photo was already in the wild, doing its thing.  It does stand a better chance of survival if it's a bit older though, so I will bring him to Lee the rehabilitator, and she'll take good care of him.

The opossum, (Didelphis virginiana) is a nocturnal animal that lives in North America. It is a marsupial, which means that the females give birth to tiny young, who grow in a pouch. These young eventually cling to the mother's back and drop off when they are large enough. Opossums are unique for many reasons. They have opposable thumbs, prehensile tails, 50 teeth, and several other unusual features. They are omnivores who eat almost anything, they have excellent immune systems, and they rarely live more than 2-3 years in the wild. They are most commonly considered a nuisance species when they live in an attic or other structure, such as under a shed, or steal pet food or threaten animals.

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