Possum Photograph

10.24.2004 - I thought that this was a fine photo of an opossum. Possums are slow animals, and they have very tiny brains. They are not so smart. Thus, when they encounter trouble, sometimes they just kind of stand there. Sometimes they play dead, sometimes they open their mouth and bare their teeth, sometimes they try to run away, sometimes they grimmace (really), and sometimes they ...just stand there. That's what this one did. I was tasked with catching it, since it was hanging around the property and not leaving, and the homeowner was concerned that it might attack or have rabies. Opossum aren't aggressive, and they don't really carry rabies. Their body temperature is lower than average, and not a good host for the disease. Regardless the homeowners wanted me to come and get it, so I did. But first, when I saw how calm it was, I decided to take some photographs. I think that this opossum is very good-looking. Some opossums are mangy or slimy or just plain ugly, but this one had a very nice coat of fur and very nice colors, and a decent looking face.  So I'm featuring it here on my wildlife blog as my best possum photograph. 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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