North American Opossum

The North American Opossum is an incredible yet common species of Marsupial That is Native to North America hence the name. Let's dive in! The North American Opossum is 13 to 22 inches long to the head to the start of the tail. The tail adds 9 to 21 inches. The male North American Opossum weighs 4.6 to 6.2 pounds while the female weighs 4.2 to 4.6 pounds. They are 8 to 10 inches tall. at the shoulder. Their coats are a dull gray color with a bright white face. The North American Opossum also possesses a prehensile tail which are mainly used to grab branches and other objects. These incredible land mammals have 50 teeth that is more than any other land mammal in North America. Another cool quality that the North American Opossum has is its opposable thumb on both of its back feet. All other digits possess claws except the thumbs on the back feet. This species of Opossum is omnivorous. It eats Grasshoppers, Ticks, Beetles, Carrion, eggs, rats, snakes, bunnies, lizards, frogs, fish, crayfish, gastropods, Voles, mice, birds, and earthworms. In urban areas they can be seen scavenging bird feeders, vegetable gardens, compost piles, trash cans, and food dishes meant for dogs and cats. One of the North American Opossums most iconic behavior is playing dead. These strange animals when threatened will bare its 50 sharp teeth, snap their jaws, hiss, drool, and stand the fur on their back to make them look bigger and more intimidating. The North American Opossums breeding season start in December and continues all the way to October, but most offspring are born between February and June. Females give birth to 8 to 9 offspring, but as many as 20 can be born. Young Opossums have a high mortality rate and 1 of 10 young Opossums survive their childhood. Opossums lifespan is surprisingly short only living to about 2 years in the wild. Another crazy fact is they are immune to most venomous snakebites. Opossums are usually looked as nuisances, but they eat so many ticks that it decreases the tick bites and injuries by incredible numbers I hope you enjoyed learning about the North American Opossum.