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Virginia opposum

Didelphis virginiana

Photo by auntnance123
Published on Project Noah
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28.4319, -80.7593

Field Notes

Description:

6 1/4 inches long

Habitat:

(woodlands/upland weedy pastures)

Notes:

This was given to me many years ago and was purported found on a nearby golf course. I recently rediscovered it in a dusty storage area at home.

Species ID Suggestions

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Reference Link
EmilyMarino
3

Comments (3)
auntnance123
Duh. I knew that about the teeth. But I was stuck on the 'folklore' that it was a fox (sparse but regular inhabitants of the golf course). And as you said, it is a large skull for a 'possum, plus the impressive canines. Must have been the elder statesman of the community. Thank you, Emily, for setting the record straight.
EmilyMarino
Wow! What a cool gift! I'm glad you decided to dust it off! The teeth don't lie, this is in fact an adult Virginia opossum. Adult opossums have 50 teeth total while both red foxes and gray foxes have a total of 42 teeth. This must have been a fairly large adult male to have a skull reach 6 inches in length. They usually top out around 5 inches and most opossum skulls are between 3-4 inches in length! Thanks again for sharing!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Identifying Animals Through Osteology
Photographed
PublishedMarch 10, 2013

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