Pity the poor possum. Just the site of one is enough to send shivers up the spines of many people, but if you take time to look beyond that, possums are a truly fascinating creature.
Possums are the only marsupials in North America. Like other marsupials such as the kangaroo, possums have a pouch in which they feed and care for their young in the first stages of life.
The mother possum gives birth to 20 bee-sized young. During one of the most dangerous journeys of its life the young must climb from the birth canal up to the safety of its mother’s pouch. Once there it will hopefully find and latch onto one of only nine nibbles. The remaining young do not survive. Needless to say, possum have a very high infant death rate. With a life span of only two years, it’s not easy being a possum.
Called opossum in many parts of the country, there are many attributes that make possums a partner and ally to farmers, gardeners and home owners.
Possums are the sanitation workers of the wild. Their diet consists of carrion (including the bones), rodents, insects, snails, slugs, eggs, fruit, frogs as well as dog and cat food. Possums eat ticks which is very helpful in the fight against Lyme Disease in our region. It is common for possums to kill rats and cockroaches in their territory.
In intelligence testing possum are better able to remember where they hid their food than rats, rabbits, cats and dogs. They can also find their way faster though a maze than rats and cats.
Possum have opposable thumbs on their hind legs which help them climb. The only other mammals with opposable thumb are primates which includes human beings.
Unlike the tails of most critters, possums have a ‘prehensile’ tail which they use to hang upside down and carry bundles of grass and nesting materials. This control function makes the tail a fifth appendage, like an extra hand.
Possum are mostly immune to rabies and venom from rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and other poisonous snakes.
“Playing possum” is a well know defense which is an involuntary response, like fainting, rather than a conscious act. They roll over, become stiff, close their eyes or stare off into space and bare their teeth while saliva forms around the teeth and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from their glands. This state can last up to four hours and has proven a deterrent from predators looking for a fresh meal.
Possum prefer to be in the wild and are not home invaders. With these attributes in its favor, possums might be our secret best friend. If you catch a possum in a have-a-heart type trap, don’t transport it away, release it where it is. It will control mice and pests in your area.
Please, if you see a possum crossing the road, give it a break. They don’t run very fast.
Happy Springtime,
James
(above) James is the past president of the Rahway Garden Club.
