Marsupial Spotlight: Opossum

So, I was talking to a friend of mine that I was about to write a blog about opossums, and I got a very interesting question in return: What is the difference between an opossum and a possum? The answer is a little bit anticlimactic. As it turns out, they are exactly the same thing. Americans call them possums for no other reason than they are more comfortable doing so. It is, however, incorrect. Being an American myself, I actually also prefer calling them possums, and that is exactly what I shall be doing in this blog.

Yes, possums are marsupials. Oddly, they are not indigenous to Australia. Possums originate in South America, but they have since expanded their homes into North America. Where I live in on the east coast, I see them all the time. I don't really mind it either. Despite the fact that they are commonly considered pests, I actually love them. But then again, I loved rats as well.

Possums come in a number of sizes. There are many breeds of the marsupial, and they can range in sizes as small as a mouse to as big as an average house cat. Possums are noted for having an extremely toothy maw. They have an unusual number of teeth which you will likely see if you approach one. They tend to try and scare off unwanted guests by showing their teeth while making "clacking" and hissing sounds. It is actually fairly intense.

As I grew up, I saw a lot of cartoons that depicted possums hanging upside down by their tails. I always found it very cute to see a family of possums from largest to smallest all hanging up together. You may be surprised to find out that this is not based on truth. Although the possum has a quite versatile, prehensile, and also furless tail, it cannot support the weight of a full grown adult; however, the very young ones can do it with little difficulty. Generally, the tail is used as an assistant for climbing up trees--this in addition to having opposable thumbs!

Female possums--like kangaroos--have pouches for holding their children; however, they are not macropods. Can you guess why? Macropods have horizontal pouches; the possum's pouch is vertical. Besides, it is not always utilized. Commonly, the children will bunch up on the back of the mother and cling to her fur as she climbs and even runs. Talk about the burden of motherhood!

Probably what possums are most known for is playing dead. This is absolutely true, and might I say, they do a wonderful job of it. I have seen a possum play dead, and they really do look dead! Their eyes roll back, their mouth stays agape while their tongue flops out, and they don't move at all. This is usually the last line of defense for a possum. The first line is all about trying to scare the offender away with a mawfull of teeth. For any of you wondering why playing dead would be helpful, very few predators will eat a dead animal for fear of disease.

Another morbid aspect of the possum is that they are well known for being roadkill. I would even go so far as to say that the car is the creature's truest natural predator. They really just have a terrible time with them, and there are two reasons why. Number one: their personality. Possums--more often then not--don't really care what's ahead of them. Many possums just walk where they want to go without any worry about what they will find there. Number two: their fear reflex. With most animals, they can still get lucky if they happen to be between the four tires, so that the car will just roll over them harmlessly. Unfortunately, some possums tend to jump when they get startled which can cause them to become intimate with the grill of a car. Thankfully, the ones who live around me cannot do this; they only have to worry about the tires.

In fiction, possums are pretty well-known; although, many of their personalities are not characteristic of their animal counterparts. Here are a few examples:

In the 2006 motion picture "Over the Hedge," there was a father and daughter possum duo named Ozzie and Heather. Ozzie was obsessed with playing dead. It was his passion, and he wanted to teach his daughter to be as good as he was. Likely by design, Ozzie was voiced by William Shatner, an over-actor in his own right. These are two wonderful characters.

In two "Ice Age" movies, we were introduced to Crash and Eddie who were the lovable adoptive brothers of Ellie the woolly mammoth. I thought they were very cute and cool. Even though they could talk, I more so enjoyed their silent expressions.

In 1899, the book, "Dot and the Kangaroo" was published by Ethel Pedley. Although, possums are not common in the bush, Ethel still included one in her story. The possum was very moody; although, she was uncharacteristically helpful to Dot--as the kangaroo explained. For some reason or another, the possum chose to assist the girl despite it not being in her nature to ever do so.

I have personally written possums into my fiction. I see possums as hillbilly types. In my published book "Still Wild," I included a short story called "The Fatherless Possum" about a mother possum who was very angry at her husband for cheating on her. The story was written with heavy dialect as she talks to her children about how rotten their father was. The father actually made it onto the cover of the book depicted as being in the process of becoming roadkill.

I love possums. I love them for the same reason I like rats. They are pests who act like they own the place. They care very little for where they live and what they eat. The only difference lies in the morbid irony of their existence. In many ways they represent death. Even when they live, they may still put on the mask of death, but it is very clear that they are very good at dying as long as there are cars driving along the streets.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Clack! Hiss!