Facts About Opossum

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Discover fascinating facts about opossums, including their unique biological traits, behaviors, and ecological roles. Learn about their immunity to venom, remarkable adaptability, and importance in controlling pests and ticks. Explore the intriguing world of North America’s only marsupial.

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Opossums, North America’s only marsupials, boast several remarkable abilities, including immunity to snake venom and a high resistance to rabies. These nocturnal creatures play a crucial role in controlling insect and rodent populations, thanks to their omnivorous diet.

Additionally, opossums have a unique defense mechanism: when threatened, they can “play dead” by falling into a temporary catatonic state, deterring predators. Their prehensile tails and opposable thumbs on their hind feet aid in climbing and handling food, showcasing their adaptability and versatility in various environments.

Facts About Opossums

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  1. Opossums have over four dozen teeth.
  2. Researchers found that possums are better at remembering which runway led to a tasty treat than cats, dogs, and even rats. 
  3. Opossums are marsupials, not rodents.
  4. Baby opossums stay with mom for about 100 days and, as they age, they’ll start venturing out of the pouch more and more.
  5. Male water opossums also have pouches.
  6. According to the National Wildlife Federation, a single possum consumes 5000 of the parasites per tick season.
  7. Opossums are nicknamed “nature’s little sanitation engineers.”
  8. The opossum’s normal diet consists of carrion, rodents, snakes, insects, snails, slugs, birds, eggs, frogs, plants, fruits, and grains.
  9. Possums have no control over when they play dead or for how long they do it: The comatose-like state is an involuntary reaction triggered by stress.
  10. They almost never get rabies.
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  1. Baby possums can even use their tails to hang from branches upside down, as they’re often depicted doing in cartoons. 
  2. An opossum litter may consist of 25 young, but a female has only 13 nipples, not all of which may provide milk. If the opossum doesn’t fasten to a functioning nipple, it dies.
  3. Opossums Have Pouches Like Kangaroos!
  4. There are Semi-Aquatic Opossums
  5. They’re constantly self-grooming.
  1. The mother opossum licks the pouch and other fur to help the baby opossum in their journey.
  2. Their name likely originated from the Powhatan language, and the borrowed word meant “white dog or dog-like beast”.
  3. Despite having good night vision, these nocturnal marsupials have relatively poor general eyesight and color vision.
  4. Male opossums, called jacks, are usually larger than the females, called jills.
  5. Female opossums often lick their pouch and surrounding areas before giving birth, sometimes making a sneezing sound when they do.
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  1. They’re immune to most forms of snake venom.
  2. Opossums are almost the size of a domestic cat.
  3. Opossums are usually called Possums in North America. The term ‘possum’ also refers to some arboreal marsupial species of Australia.
  4. Young opossums will make sneezing sounds or a soft “choo choo” to call out to their mother, who will respond with clicking noises. 
  5. Opossums do not hibernate, but they move slower during the winter.
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  1. Opossum eyes do have whites and irises, but because their pupils are so large, their eyes appear completely black from a distance. 
  2. They can also recall the smell of toxic substances up to a year after trying them.
  3. Opossums have a lifespan of just two years. 
  4. Their tails act like a fifth appendage.
  5. They also help clean up sources of pests by eating rotting fruit and vegetables.
  1. Their eyes aren’t totally black.
  2. Opossums are America’s only native marsupial.
  3. Researchers have been trying to harvest possums’ anti-venom powers for decades. 
  4. They can’t choose when they “play dead.”
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Are you looking for more fun and engaging facts to share with your family? Check out these other posts for more facts!

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