Obviously, I enjoy wildlife; after all, I’ve spent most of my life photographing, painting, or writing about some form of wildlife.
The other morning, while downing a cup of coffee with the gang, one of the guy’s wives mentioned she had a possum in the barn, and that led to a more involved discussion, which further generated my interest. As often happens, I found myself digging deeper to learn more about that critter we often see splattered on the highway or making its way through our yard at night.
Indeed, the opossum is very unique, and in fact, it is the only marsupial that lives outside of Australia and South America. What’s a marsupial? A marsupial is an animal that is raised in a pouch attached to its mother, with the largest such critter being the kangaroo. The pointed snout of a possum contains 50 teeth, the most of any North American mammal. The five toes each have a claw except the first toe of each hind foot, which is long and capable of grasping like a thumb. Although slow, they are excellent climbers, making use of their naked, scaly tails for gripping and balancing.
Another very interesting characteristic of the opossum, of course, is childbirth and rearing of young. The possum’s gestation period is only 12-13 days, and newborns are hairless, blind, pink-skinned, and barely past the embryonic stage. They are only about a half-inch in length, and 20 could easily fit into a tablespoon. Another intriguing fact is the female usually has 13 nipples (Why not 12?) inside the pouch. The newborns whose hind limbs are not fully developed at birth immediately climb to a nipple inside the pouch with their well-developed front legs and claws. When a newborn begins to nurse, the nipple enlarges, forming a bulb on the end that swells in the baby’s mouth and helps it stay attached; they will stay attached for 8-9 weeks. The mother can close her pouch to keep the young from falling out. If more than 13 are born, any number over 13 will quickly die due to a lack of a feeding station.
Some of the previous information about possums may be new to some, but we have all known about the “playing possum” routine ever since we were kids. When threatened, a possum will often go limp and motionless while lying on its side. The eyes and mouth remain open, the tongue protrudes, and its breathing becomes shallow, you would swear it was dead or dying. This “dead” state usually last for several minutes, but it has been observed for several hours. During this period, they may exude a musky odor, which may help repel attacking enemies.
The possum is quite common throughout Pennsylvania’s farmland and woodlots, with an average home range of a little over a half-mile, and if food is plentiful, they may range only a few hundred yards. Opossums do not hibernate, and although they add additional fat come winter, they do not grow a winter fur pelt. Pennsylvania is about as about as far north as they prefer to live, and in fact, many possums lose the tips of their ears and tails to frostbite.
Well, it may not be as exciting as seeing a giant buck or a big gobbler. The next time you spot one, you may have a deeper appreciation for how unique they are.
