America’s Only Marsupial!

So last night around 11PM I’m laying on my bed, a bit glazed over, watching Boo-Boo sit and Oddball eat when I hear something stirring. My first thought – a mouse? Oddball was doing more than well enough to handle and small rodent (with pleasure) so I wasn’t too concerned. My window was open for air (screen in, of course). Like any good Philly resident, I have a set of bars on my window to keep intruders out and fires in. It’s habit. I blink, and then the bars have a climber, here’s this little guy staring back at me:

Weirdest little critter, he’s clinging to the bars on my window with what looks like tiny hands. His ears are lined in black. He blinks, looking down at the cats like, "Neat, who are these guys" and I see intelligence there. And I’m a little scared, the sort of scared that comes with seeing something you don’t understand. Like little kids scared of the dark. At the same time, I’m a little fascinated, because I don’t understand, I’m not the sort that studies wildlife, though it’s kind of cool to have wildlife study me.

Then Oddball jumps up onto the desk to get a closer look and the wildlife is gone. Vanished. The night ticks on. Oddball waits, waits, gives up, lays down, goes to sleep. I glance back at the window, wondering if the stranger will return. But he doesn’t. And eventually it’s lights out. Another night watching Buffy on the laptop. And sleep.

Some nifty facts about the Opossum:

• Opossums lived during the Age of the Dinosaurs… fossil remains have been found from 70 million years ago! This means that the opossum is part of the Earth’s oldest surviving mammal family.
• The opossum doesn’t have a permanent "nest" because it is nocturnal and transient.  It will spend and average of 2-3 days in the same hideout, then move on.  Some weeks later it may return to your place, depending on your hospitality.
• Opossums have soft, rounded opposable thumbs with no fingernails, on their hindfeet.
• Opossums do not dig holes, as their paws are very soft and tender, much like a human hand.
• Opossums may drool, growl and show their 50 teeth when frightened, but in reality are placid and prefer to avoid any confrontation.
• They are slow-moving with very sensitive hearing and smell, opossums are not territorial and will adapt to any environment where food, water and  and shelter exist.
• Opossums do not hand by their tails-the tail stabilizes their position while climbing and walking.
• Besides their natural predators in the wild, humans, cars and cats are the demise for this docile creature.  Very few survive to adulthood , and usually live only 1-2 years if they do.
• "Playing Possum" is one of the most effective ways the opossums defends itself.  When unable to flee, extreme fear places the opossum into an involuntary coma.  They become stiff and their mouths will gape open.  This condition will last 40 minutes to 4 hours.  Most predators will abandon their attack, once the opossum is thought to be dead.
• Opossums cannot jump.  An opossum may get into a trash can only if it has been knocked over by another animal, or if it’s against a fence and the opossum drops into it, which can trap the opossum in the trash can.  Just tip the can over and eventually the opossum will scramble away.
• Opossum fur coloring is most commonly gray, but can range from white and cinnamon to black.
• Baby opossums are usually born between the months of February and June.

Facts compiled by:  The Opossum Society of the U.S., P.O. Box 167, Irvine, CA 92713 (714) 536-3538