If you gave an animal a kangaroo pouch, the tail of a monkey, and the snout of a rat, what would you have?
Last week, I shared my “Meeting Mr. Opossum” story in Did You Know Face-To-Face Meetings Aren’t Always What You Expect? This week, let’s look closer at this misunderstood animal.
The Truth
Opossums have gotten a bad rap. Just because they aren’t cute or cuddly, doesn’t mean they are “bad.” They’re actually very good neighbors. They eat garbage, bones, and refuse that other animals won’t. They’re also much cleaner and smarter than people give them credit for. If they aren’t eating or sleeping, they’re grooming. They are meticulous groomers and eat more than 95% of the ticks that latch on to them. They also eat cockroaches, small rodents, and dead animals. (Eat Cockroaches? Roll out the welcome mat!)
Did You Know…
- Lacking sweat glands, it’s thought opossums groom themselves to cool down. This makes them practically odorless.
- Opossums can eat as many as 5,000 ticks per season. Getting rid of ticks helps protect humans from Lyme disease, something opossums rarely get.
- The opossum’s immune system is very good. The critter doesn’t usually get sick.
- Because its normal body temperature is too low for the virus to survive, opossums rarely contract rabies. Bats, racoons, and skunks are more likely to carry the disease than opossums.
- The opossum’s excrement can give humans diseases like Leptospirosis or Salmonella. They can also spread fleas to your cats and dogs.
Food and Shelter
As an adaptable omnivore, opossums eat food that is both plant and animal. They adjust their diet to the season and location. As nocturnal animals, they forage for food—including cat, dog, and people food—from just after dark until dawn. During the winter, when food is scarce, they will also forage during the day. They rely mostly on smell and touch when foraging.
They make their homes in dark places, like under piles of leaves, burrows in trees, and . . . the center of a rolled up old sleeping bag in a conveniently dark storage barn. They also like areas with a good water source. Opossums can swim both underwater and on the surface.
Did You Know…
- Opossums are considered the “sanitation workers of the wild.”
- An unusually high need for calcium leads opossums to eat animal bones.
- When it comes to food, opossums have great memories. They can find and remember where food is better than cats, dogs, and even rats.
- Opossums survive in cities better than in the country. Those living in cities are 34% larger than their country cousins, though the area in which they range is smaller.
- Some people keep opossums as pets.
Threats
Opossums are normally shy and silent. When facing danger, they usually escape by running away or showing teeth and hissing loudly to scare the danger away. Only when faced with a truly serious threat do they “play dead.” This is not a voluntary action. Just like a human fainting, the opossum “dies.” And to really sell the death scene, the opossum’s lips peel back, its tongue hangs out, and drool oozes out of its mouth. Its body also emits a horrible smell, and it won’t respond to being bitten or carried. After the danger passes—assuming the predator hasn’t killed it—the opossum “wakes up.”
The venom of most snakes, scorpions, and bees doesn’t hurt the opossum. Likewise, toxins (like botulism) doesn’t affect it.
Did You Know…
- Opossums can run at roughly four miles per hour.
- A protein in the opossum’s blood attaches to toxins, nullifying the effect of venom. Research is being done to synthesize this protein to make antivenom for people.
- The opossum is partially or completely immune to all snake venom, except the coral snake.
- Because it’s immune to snake venom, opossums see snakes as a tasty meal, not something to be feared.
- The involuntary act of “playing dead” is known as “thanatosis” or “tonic immobility.” It’s most common in young opossums and lasts until the threat is gone, whether that takes a few minutes or as long as six hours.
Survival
The opossum has a simple strategy for survival: Don’t be picky about what you eat or where you live. (Too bad it isn’t as careful about crossing the road.) Have lots of babies. And, when danger comes knocking, play dead. (Just, hopefully, not in the middle of the road.)