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Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Photo by InannaBintAli
Published on Project Noah
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39.0997, -94.5786

Field Notes

Description:

Pink snout, triangular-shaped face, scruffy gray fur, rat-like tail.

Habitat:

Playing dead in my backyard.

Reference Links:

Didelphimorphia, Opossum

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (10)
InannaBintAli
Funny. I'd like to read more people's possum stories!
Gallopingphotog
Cool photos. I had a big possum show up in my barn's feed room several times, trying to get into the horse chow bins. Not wishing either to feed him or shoot him, I finally put on a heavy glove, made him play dead and then grabbed his tail. The tail isn't prehensile so he couldn't pull himself up to bite, so as long as I carried him at arm's length it was OK. Except he got really heavy by the time I got to the other end of the pasture and dumped him! By the 4th time, he didn't even seem upset to be carried like that, and after a couple more times, I didn't see him anymore.
animaisfotos
I got sad when saw the other picture. But then again I read the "Habitat". Playing dead?! :-) What a story behind the sequence... Thanks for sharing. Just wished I had a backyard like that.
InannaBintAli
Our old lab used to roll possums, too, but he never did anything to them. One evening he looked confused, looked at us like he was thinking "What do I do with it?", lifted his leg and peed on it. The poor possum laid there playing dead but hissing the whole time it was being peed on, not daring to move. I felt sorry for the creature, but my husband and I were laughing so hard I think we woke the whole neighborhood.
auntnance123
I just love possums. And a dog WILL scare one to "death" every time. What good fortune to capture the behavior.
InannaBintAli
Not shy, I don't think, but scared. When it finally got the nerve up to walk away from me and the dog, it paused every few steps to look back and hiss at us, which is what it was doing when I snapped this picture.
InannaBintAli
We don't see them often during the day, but sometimes. My dog runs at them, and they roll over. She doesn't attack, but the possums won't move while she's there, which -- in this instance -- gave me time to run in and get my camera, and it laid there looking at me through little slits of its almost-closed eyes while it played dead and I took pictures.
SusanEllison
do they come out in the daytime too? at my backyard I could not get a shot..it only comes in the mid of the night. good catch by the way

Spotted for Missions

Mission
WILD Cities: Urban Biodiversity

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJuly 10, 2011

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