Photo of the Day #829: Virginia opossum

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A stuffed Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), photographed at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.


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Interesting animals-- I've many times had to evict them from my house (the trick to catching a possum? Walk up to possum. Pick up possum by tail. They ain't all that bright or all that fast.)

A couple of observations from possums I've kept captive (never more than for a few hours until I could release them somewhere else):

1.) they groom themselves by licking their feet and running them through their fur like a cat-- but use their BACK feet to do it.

2.) they (well, at least one of them) blink one eye at a time, seconds apart, never (during my observation) both eyes at once.

A few photos of my guests mixed in with this disorganized folder:

http://s313.photobucket.com/albums/ll394/darrengarrison/nature/?start=a…

By Darren Garrison (not verified) on 22 Jan 2010 #permalink

Cute ltl possum (never called 'em 'O'possum) reminds me of the pet I kept as a kid, named, with great originality, Pos. Found him one morning hanging by his tail in a mulberry tree. No sign of mom & sibs. Climbed up & nabbed the ltl fella. Had Pos for several years. Kept him in a rabbit hutch. Completely tame. Never once offered to bite. Would climb my mom's curtains & hang by his tail from the curtain rod. Would climb onto a kitchen chair & down into the waste can to poop. Never pooped on the floor. Poor Pos got his ears frostbitten one winter's night & was kinda funny looking after that. Went tricker-treatin' one Halloween with Pos down in my candy bag. Ladies would freak when I opened it to receive my treat and they saw a big "rat" lookin' up at 'em. Thanks for the memories...

By darwinsdog (not verified) on 25 Jan 2010 #permalink