Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

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Virginia Opossum | Stillwater, MN | View Enlarged Image

The Midwest's Only Marsupial

Opossum (Virginia Opossum for those taxonomy purists out there) have become increasingly common in Minnesota in the last decade. One reason could be that, like deer and raccoon, possum are becoming more accustomed to suburban living. The drastic change from prairie and forest to farmland and suburb may have created a habitat more suitable to them.

Like the Kangaroos of Australia, Possums are marsupials (the only one in the Midwest), which means that the female nurse their young in small sacks attached to their body. Possums have distinctive white rat-like heads, pink noses, dark gray or black bodies, and red feet. The Possum's naked tail is nearly as long as its body. While it may be an old wife's tale that possum hang upside down from tree branches on their tails, it is true that their tail helps them balance while climbing trees. When tracking Opossum, look for their distinctive widespread toes (some call them star-shaped) and tail drag.

Possums are nocturnal animals and often compete with the raccoon for territory and prey. Like the cat, they have developed large eyes to see better in the dark. While the possum may appear somewhat slow and plodding, they can travel long distances in a night. On their nightly rounds, possum will eat almost anything, including carrion, eggs, insects, fruit, and small animals. They will even eat garbage.

The Faint-fu System of Self Defense

When panicked, possum sometimes "play-dead" by seizing up and exuding a foul-smelling musk. While it's always been assumed that playing dead is a clever trick Possums pull to fool predators, it turns out they may not intend to do it at all! Just as the flash of a strobe light may trigger some people to have an epileptic seizure, naturalists believe that panic causes the possum's brain to "short circuit." Most predators won't eat something they haven't killed. They don't know if the animal died of disease or poisoned, or how long the carcass has been sitting there. When the stricken possum awakes from its seizure, there's a good chance that the predator will have moved on to seek fresher game.

What may seem to us like a disability was actually an evolutionary blessing! Possums who were more prone to this condition survived long enough to breed, and carried on these 'panic' genes to their young. Unfortunately for the possum, this evolutionary windfall does not protect them against the automobile --the newest predator to enter their environment.

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Virginia Opossum \| Stillwater, MN	Virginia Opossum; Trail Indicators; Track \| Stillwater, MN

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