Marsupials
Opossums are:
not possums. Yup. It is a common mistake. The possum is actually a tree-climbing marsupial that lives in Australia, and a distant cousin to the North American, opossum.
not a rodent. Like its cousin the possum, the opossum is a marsupial, which is to say that it is an animal that has a pouch. It uses this pouch to carry its young around. Other marsupials you may be familiar with are koalas and kangaroos.
the only pouched mammal in the U.S. and Canada.
blessed to have two big toes that act like opposable thumbs. These digits, called halux, help the opossums climb trees with ease. They have this anatomical feature in common with monkeys and other primates.
immune to a lot of stuff. These critters have such a good immune system, they are hardly ever found with the rabies virus, and they are not considered reservoirs for Lyme disease.
While these furry creatures can be quite interesting, they can also create many problems when they come onto our property. One of the most prominent problems they cause is lawn damage. Opossums are fond of grubs. When they come into a yard, they will damage turf grass as they dig to get at the grubs under the surface. But, arguably, those grubs would have done some damage anyway.
If an opossum makes its home under a porch, deck, shed, or outbuilding, it may present a danger to pets and children. While not an aggressive animal, by any means, it will defend itself if cornered or protecting young. Most of the time, it will open its mouth wide and bare its teeth as a threatening posture, or simply play dead.
The real risk of opossums is in the introduction of parasites such as fleas and lice, especially to domesticated cats. Outdoor cats are curious and are prone to go into areas where opossums have been. When they do, they can pick these parasites up and bring them into the house. It is important to note, however, that opossums are incredible groomers and this drive for constant grooming perfection makes them a rare carrier of ticks. In fact, they eat and digest most of the ticks that are unfortunate enough to get on them.
Read Morenot possums. Yup. It is a common mistake. The possum is actually a tree-climbing marsupial that lives in Australia, and a distant cousin to the North American, opossum.
not a rodent. Like its cousin the possum, the opossum is a marsupial, which is to say that it is an animal that has a pouch. It uses this pouch to carry its young around. Other marsupials you may be familiar with are koalas and kangaroos.
the only pouched mammal in the U.S. and Canada.
blessed to have two big toes that act like opposable thumbs. These digits, called halux, help the opossums climb trees with ease. They have this anatomical feature in common with monkeys and other primates.
immune to a lot of stuff. These critters have such a good immune system, they are hardly ever found with the rabies virus, and they are not considered reservoirs for Lyme disease.
While these furry creatures can be quite interesting, they can also create many problems when they come onto our property. One of the most prominent problems they cause is lawn damage. Opossums are fond of grubs. When they come into a yard, they will damage turf grass as they dig to get at the grubs under the surface. But, arguably, those grubs would have done some damage anyway.
If an opossum makes its home under a porch, deck, shed, or outbuilding, it may present a danger to pets and children. While not an aggressive animal, by any means, it will defend itself if cornered or protecting young. Most of the time, it will open its mouth wide and bare its teeth as a threatening posture, or simply play dead.
The real risk of opossums is in the introduction of parasites such as fleas and lice, especially to domesticated cats. Outdoor cats are curious and are prone to go into areas where opossums have been. When they do, they can pick these parasites up and bring them into the house. It is important to note, however, that opossums are incredible groomers and this drive for constant grooming perfection makes them a rare carrier of ticks. In fact, they eat and digest most of the ticks that are unfortunate enough to get on them.
OPOSSUM 2021-02-04 RX10M4 2200HRS
202102042200hrsOPOSSUMawbbackyardclearwaterflneighborhood411rx10m4used flashlight
