I think one of the coolest critters around is perhaps one of the least understood and therefore one of the least liked animals. To add insult to injury, some even say it’s ugly. Of course, I don’t agree. I think it’s amazing and beautiful. What critter am I talking about? The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana).
The Virginia Opossum is North American’s only marsupial. So what the heck is a marsupial? The difference between marsupials and other mammals is how they reproduce. Female marsupials have two uterus and no placenta, unlike other mammal mothers that have one uterus and a corresponding placenta. They developing baby marsupial doesn’t attach to the mothers uterus like it does on other mammals.
Young marsupials are born at less than 20 days in nearly an embryonic state. At birth, their eyes, ears and hind legs are not yet developed. However their front legs, mouth and nose are well developed. Even though they lack basic body parts they crawl and wiggle through their mother’s fur arriving at a fur-lined pouch located on the mother’s belly where they will attach to a mammary gland to drink milk. Depending upon the species of marsupial, the babies can be as small as a lima bean at this stage.
There are 334 species of marsupial in the world, 235 of them are found in Australia. I think we are all familiar with the kangaroo and wallaby, which are some of the most well-known of the marsupials. There are 99 species of marsupial in the Central and South America. But just one marsupial, the Virginia Opossum, here in North America.
‘White animal’
The Virginia Opossum is more commonly called "opossum" or just "possum." The word opossum comes from the Algonquian Indian name Wapathemwa meaning "white animal."
The opossum is found throughout the eastern half of the country and down into Mexico and Central America. In recent decades the opossum has been expanding their range northward into the Great Plains states. Interestingly, there is a sizeable population of opossum along the west coast from California to the Canadian border. It is believed they were introduced into this area during the Great Depression, most likely as a source of food for people, and some escaped and are now well established in the wild.
Surprisingly, opossum vary in size and color. Some older male opossum can be upwards of three feet long (without the tail) and weight up to 15 pounds. Females are smaller and weigh under nine pounds. They also come in a wide variety of colors from nearly all white to nearly all black.
They have large fleshy ears that range in color from all black to all white or a combination of both. Tails can be anywhere from nine to 20 inches long and are naked. Many say that the tails are prehensile, and claim the opossum can hang by their tails or even carry objects with it. I don’t believe this. Their tails are not strong enough to grasp anything, but they do use their tail to help with balance and support while climbing around on tree branches.
A toothy marsupial
Another unique feature of the opossum, they have 50 teeth, which is more than any other mammal in North America. When frightened they will open their mouth and show off their teeth in an attempt to scare away any threat. If this doesn’t work they will fall over and play dead or "play possum." Their mouth will hang open and tongue hangs out. Soon as the threat passes they will get up and waddle off.
They are solitary animals that come out at night. Although you can occasionally see one during the day. I am so interested in opossums that recently I have been spending many hours sitting outside in the cold and dark waiting to capture some images of this critter. Hour after hour I wait huddled in a small photo blind waiting. Occasionally I’ve been lucky enough to capture a few images of these marvelous creatures.
Until next time …
Stan Tekiela, Victoria, is an author-naturalist and wildlife photographer. He travels the U.S. to study and photograph wildlife. Visit his website at www.naturesmart.com. His column appears regularly in the Advocate.