Opossum facts dump + pictures

1. Opossums are the only marsupials in the U.S.! Not to be confused with the Possum, which is native to Australia and New Guinea. Completely different. I promise.
Edit No. 400 - They've also been spotted in parts of Canada and Northern Mexico.

2. They're nocturnal creatures and prefer to live in solitude, so they tend to not spend time with others unless mating. Opossums don't even make their own homes! They're basically the squatters of the animal kingdom. They take over abandoned dens and nest and make them their own. Bachelor-squatters. I'm jealous.

3. Edit: I got the lifespan a little jumbled. The average lifespan of the opossum is 1 to 2 years, and in rare cases, up to 4 years in captivity. They age quite rapidly.

4. Thumbs! Optimal for grooming, climbing trees, and opening your trash can for a midnight snack...

5. They have fifty glorious teeth for ripping effortlessly through your garbage!

6. Baby opossums are called Joeys!

7. A female opossum can have anywhere from one to three litters a year, producing approximately 4-8 Joeys per litter.

8. When Joeys are born, they're only about the size of a honeybee. They spend 50 days inside their mothers pouch and another 50 on her back until they're ready to go off on their own. Mini-van moms!

9. Did I mention they have 13 nipples? They have 13 nipples.

10. Opossums loooove to show teeth. In a last-ditch effort, this is their only way to ward off any unwanted company. They won't usually bite, but they'll hiss, burp, and urinate on themselves, among other very unpleasant things first.. They're known to play 'dead' quite often, but it can sometimes get a little on the extremely disgusting side. When in a mini involuntary Shakespearean episode (like a goat), they'll do the following:
- Become very stiff and curl up or outstretch their limbs
- Curl their lips up and salivate/foam at the mouth
- Stare Blankly
- Aaaaaand secrete a lovely foul-smelling liquid from their anal glands!

To really sell it, they'll remain in a catatonic state for minutes to hours. Trash Grammy top nominee?

11. These little shits are BRUTAL. They eat SNAKES and are partially to totally immune to most pit viper venom (i.e. Cottonmouth, Copperhead).
They also eat other small animals (and carcasses), eggs, and lots of insects and bird seed.

12. Opossums very rarely carry rabies because of their low body temperature and crazy good immune systems. On top of that, they eat nearly 4000 ticks each week or so and are incapable of spreading Lyme Disease, among other tick-borne illnesses. They are prone to carrying other types of harmful diseases (I.E. Leptospirosis, Tuberculosis, Tularemia, Spotted fever, Toxoplasmosis, Coccidiosis,Ttrichomoniasis, and Chagas disease) so please keep your distance just in case.

13. They're surprisingly good swimmers.

14. To us their eyes look completely black, but if you look here in this slightly unsettling image, you'll see they do indeed have iris. Their pupils are just INCREDIBLY dilated because of their late night shenanigans.

Small break because the image above was spoopy.

15. Put. Everything. Away. They will remember that you have easily accessible trash cans or pet food and they WILL come back. Unless you enjoy the (mostly) harmless company, make sure they can't get to it. Remember to also check your attic for torn insulation and droppings during the winter months! Lock up your chicken coops and set safe traps until they can be released into the wild elsewhere too.

16. They're social anxiety in animal form. Opossums will chill silently with whatever animal is near them unless they absolutely pose a threat, so don't fret for your outside pets. This thing will literally shit itself before it will hurt anything or anyone around it.

An Opossum I named Apples hangs out in my garage with my cats and he/she inspired me to make this slightly informative post. I'd like to make people feel more comfortable with these dudes hanging around, even if they are a little gross sometimes.

Another small edit: Let it be known that they aren't completely harmless. They have the potential to hurt other animals/livestock for a food source, and (TIL) their urine/feces can carry a parasite called EPM which is harmful to horses if consumed through water/feed.
Here's a link that goes further into depth about how to properly handle an opossum encounter and what to look out for: http://www.wildlife-removal.com/opossum.htm
Everyone is also entitled to their own opinion about them!

Thank you to the Imgurians who also helped me learn some new things!

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