Opossum
omnivorous! marsupial! nocturnal!
The American Indian named this animal "white beast"
probably because of its light colored skin, long rat-like prehensile tail, and
the darker fur on its body overlapped by a white colored fur.
The word "opossum" is probably from the Ojibwa  Indian's Algonquin language.
Opossum is a word from a family of languages; the Shawnee, Fox, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Arapaho,
Abenake, and Delaware Indians. Regardless, they named it, we are stuck with it. In case
you are not aware of it, some opossum animals, instead of fighting a foe, will fall
over in a deep shock when held by an enemy and have the appearance of looking dead. This is where
the expression "playing possum" originated from. Opossum are tree animals and are more secure in trees.
During mating season, this overgrown rat-like animal, can have up to 18 kits (babies to you) that crawl immediately after birthing into the mother's pouch where they nurse for a few months. They are born blind which makes it difficult to find the mother's milk stations. Since it is on a first come first serve basis, only 12 can be nursed with the others dying from starvation. It's hard to believe they are totally blind at birth, the size of honeybees, and a whole litter will rest comfortably in a tablespoon. After relinquishing their warm pouch arrangement, due to the rapid increase of their body size, they climb upon the mother's back and ride around for a few weeks. They develop many teeth (up to 50) that give the mother conniptions if they try to go back to the pouch for a little warm milk and a graham cracker for lunch. Therefore, the little long-nose kits change their diet to small animals, grain, fruit, carrion, bird eggs, and whatever else their little noses can find or dig up. 
Opossum are nocturnal and frequent the places that are usually near
water. If all goes well with no accidents, drowning, or demise from a predator; the feisty
opossum, that lovable, snooty, rat-tailed night raider will have eight comfortable years to
live and get fat. |
