I like a possum. I think they are just great little animals who give so much to this world while getting little or no praise. In fact, most of the time, people hate them for no good reason.
Yes, the Grand Possum. But the thing is, I’ve been saying it wrong. I know, I know. It can be interchanged with opossum, easy peasy. But think again.
Opossums and possums are different animals. Opossums live in North and South America, while possums live in Australia and other countries.
Both animals are marsupials. However, possums are more closely related to kangaroos.
I’m not sure why we, in North America, often shorten opossum to possum when referring to them. Lazy ass Americans, probably.
The first Americans, the native Americans, named them. Literally, the word means “white dog or white beast” in Powhatan.
But here is what I love about them most. Opossums are peaceful animals that prefer not to fight. You might catch them hissing or growling if they get cornered.
Though, more often than not, an opossum is more likely to “play dead” if you or I confront them. Here is another thing. They aren’t pretending.
Those poor little creatures are actually passing out from fear, stress, and shock. Their physiological response is involuntary and automatic. The distress of any frightening encounter actually triggers a comatose state within them. And they can be “dead” anywhere from 40 minutes to four hours. (For the record, it is called tonic immobility or thanatosis.)
Here is one more thing about their deadness. When they are in this catatonic state, their bodies give off the smell of a dead animal.
As many of you know, we have two dogs. When I take them out to their “spot” for the final time at night, Ollie likes to run around the house at least once to make sure there is nothing to bark at. Occasionally, there might be a raccoon on one of the bird feeders, and I have to intervene.
But every so often, she will come across an opossum. It will pass out, and she will bark at it, looking for a fight. Of course, nothing happens on the opossum side of things. So Ollie proceeds to pick the thing up and carry it around in her mouth. (Adult opossums weigh anywhere between 4 and 11 pounds.)
Eventually, Ollie gets bored, or tired, of carting around the limp opossum and will eventually come to the back door, looking to get back inside. And. As a bonus, Ollie now smells like dead animal.
But opossums are our friends. I wish people would stop giving them a bad rap. They slow the spread of Lyme disease by eating loads of ticks. They also clean up carrion. They are immune to most snake venom and will eat snakes of all sorts. Opossums also kill and eat other rodents, such as mice and rats. They rarely, rarely, rarely get rabies. AND. A coolio thing. Opossums are one of the very few animals with prehensile tails. Yes, they can use their ugly little tail as an extra arm. Like when they climb trees and such.
So really, opossums are one of the rock stars of the animal world. And if you really give them a good look, you might see just how beautiful they are.
First, let’s put the O back in Opossum. And let’s love them for the wonderful creatures that they are. Oh! Opossum Pride!
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“There is no greater power and support you can give someone than to look them in the eye, and with sincerity/conviction say, ‘I believe in you.”
― Ken Poirot
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“Everyone is struggling. I suppose we must try to understand and learn rather than judge”
― Amish Tripathi,
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“How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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Oh! The rock star marsupial. Oh, yeah.
