Swampin Opossum Facts

There are 275 different species of Marsupial in the world the Latin word marsupion means''Little purse'' and that is a perfect fit for these pouched animals. The Virginia opossum is about the size of a house cat at about 21 to 35 inches nose to tail and can weight 4 to 15 pounds. Sadly their lifespan is short with survival only being 1 to 2 years in the wild. Some captive opossums have reached 4 years in good conditions. The  Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial found in North America!  After people traveled west by wagon in the 1840s people were becoming more established in the west. By the 1890s opossums were brought with them and farmed as a food source. An adult male opossum is called Jack a female is called a Jill and a baby is called a Joey. They breed between the months of January - October. The gestation period of a possum is about 13 days, then the joeys are born and must claim 1 of 13 nipples inside the mother's pouch. 
The Joeys will remain inside the pouch for about 50 days, before they begin to move from the pouch and spend time on their mother's back! In about 100 days the young opossums exit their piggy back ride and leave their mothers to find their own home.
A really cool feature of the opossum is their dexterous hands and feet. Primates together with opossums are the only mammals with 
opposable toes! It is often heard that opossum hang from their tails, although their tails are very useful and can aid in holding them in 
place when climbing or also used to wrap around nesting materials to bring back to a den, but they do not just hang or sleep by their tails. Please never attempt to place a opossum in a tree by its tail!

Opossums are nocturnal and their eye site is poor so they rely on smell, touch and hearing to find food. They will eat insects, worms, grubs, rats, mice, carrion, snakes, lizards, berries, and vegetation. A cool fact is that Virginia opossums are immune to snake venom and have been know to consume a venomous snake if the opportunity arises! After roadways increased their opportunity to consume carrion has also increased and in turn the opossums often become victims of car strikes and are often seen as road kill.
The Virginia opossum has 50 sharp teeth that they will often show off as a first defense when they feel threatened. If that fails they will 
either attempt to flee or "Play Opossum". they mimic a dead animal by pulling back their lips exposing their teeth producing foamy saliva and a foul smell is secreted from the anal glands.This is a completely involuntary physiological response to danger so they may not qualify for the Academy Awards for best actors! Opossums are very beneficial to our environment and have a resistance to rabies thus the opossum makes for a great backyard friend!