Opossums, also popularly called possums in North America, are docile marsupials of the Americas.There are over 110 species of opossums in South America and North America. However, only the Virginia opossum is commonly found in the United States and Canada.Possums are small to medium-sized, semi-arboreal, and opportunistic omnivorous marsupials. They are usually solitary but sometimes temporarily occupy abandoned shelters as a family. A possum has a full jaw with about 50 teeth, though the teeth won’t typically cause harm to a human.They are nocturnal and are not dangerous. When they feel threatened, they pretend to be dead so that they will be left alone. Highly misunderstood as a rabies virus carrier, this animal is more good than bad. They are, in fact, resistant to rabies and botulism. This is because they have relatively lower body temperatures than other warm-blooded animals. Opossums are also immune to spider or snake venom and toxins in bee or scorpion stings. They clean up, eliminate a few potential disease carriers, and do not bother you during the day.Are you looking for more fun facts you can learn about this fascinating species? After reading this article, why not also read these amazing articles about what does a possum look like and do possums eat rats here on Kidadl?Are possums in the backyard good or bad?Possums are nocturnal scavengers. They might creep you out at night if you run into them in your backyard. But before you entirely kick them off your premises, let’s see whether they have any benefits or if they just cause damage to gardens.Having opossums frequent your backyard is both good and bad. They can be helpful groundskeepers for your yard. These omnivorous animals can keep pests at bay. They eat insects, spiders, rodents, and even snakes. Ticks are one of their favorites. Here’s a fun fact about their diet. Each possum eats more than 5000 ticks every year. So, opossums can help prevent diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever caused by ticks. Contrary to belief, possums do not carry rabies.Their omnivorous diet also includes plant matter. Even though they might eat your flowers and fruits, possums prefer overripe, fallen, or rotting fruits more. This helps clean up your backyard and, as an additional service, opossums take care of animal carcasses. With all these perks, your efficient groundskeeper can become a common nuisance too.Preferring overripe fruits doesn’t exactly mean that they won’t eat your flowers or fresh fruits. They clean up well but can create mess just as well. Their love for rotting vegetation will eventually lead them to your garbage bags or compost, where they leave a mess after rummaging. They also like to eat pet food and with their excellent memories, they return every night for it.Do possums bite humans?Possums are highly defensive. However, they do not attack humans. Since they are nocturnal animals, you wouldn’t encounter them other than at night. When you do get close to a possum, you don’t have to be afraid.It is doubtful that opossums will attack you. Therefore, you don’t have to anticipate an opossum attack if you bump into one. Possums are not aggressive. Instead, they will ‘play possum’. Yes, it is the famous colloquial phrase for ‘apparent death’ or ‘playing dead’. This deception of pretending to be dead is their defense mechanism.If they get a chance, they’ll flee before they are attacked. Opossums may not be dangerous to humans, but, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for your cat, bird, dog, or any other pet you might have. We can deem possums dangerous to pets or other smaller-sized threats. However docile we say an opossum is, it is still a wild animal and wild animals can be unpredictable.Most of the time, a possum will play possum or bare their teeth to scare you off. Therefore, theoretically, going near one is not much of a risk, and you can pick them up and pet them. Opossums bite in extreme cases only if they are provoked or feel cornered which means it can be triggered by trying to pet them since they do not know you and may perceive you as a threat.If you have an opossum bite, it would be because it saw you as a threat and used its last resort in defending itself. Like any other animal bite, you need medical attention if this happens. Even if rabies is not a disease that possums spread, many other kinds of infections are possible.What do possums eat?Possums are omnivores with a special preference for pests and overripe vegetation. A possum’s diet is diverse and can be both beneficial and annoying.They will eat skeletal remains and animal carcasses, snakes, frogs, birds, insects like beetles and cockroaches, arachnids like spiders and especially ticks, mollusks like slugs and snails, rodents like rats and mice, plant matter like fresh as well as overripe fallen fruits, flowers, rotting vegetation, your food waste, compost, and your cat’s or dog’s favorite foods. Now, that is a long list.They require a lot of calcium in their diet. An opossum inside your garbage bag is gross but quite normal. They eat almost anything and have a strong sense of smell. Their eating habits can be beneficial if you are willing to take a risk.Difference Between Opossums and PossumsYou probably will see that opossum and possum are commonly used interchangeably, like in this article, and there’s a pretty good chance that someone might tell you they are entirely different too. So, what is confusing about it? To know that, we should look at where these came from.Originally known as the Virginia opossum, this marsupial species is more commonly known as just opossum or, even shorter, possum. Both terms have been in use since the 17th century, and ‘apossoun’ and ‘opassom’ are believed to be the earlier forms of the word. Even though the exact word is unknown, the original Algonquian word means ‘white dog’ or ‘white small animal’.The word opossum is preferred and used in writing, whereas possum is more common in speech. However, due to the existence of a similar arboreal Australian marsupial belonging to a different order, in Australia and New Guinea, ‘possum’ and ‘opossum’ are used as two different words to distinguish the Australian mammal, a possum, and the American mammal, opossum.So, in short, when you refer to the Australian marsupial specifically, you can use possum, and when you refer to the Virginia opossum, you can use either opossum or possum.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Do possums bite? Find out if you should pet one, then why not take a look at do possums carry diseases or how long do possums live?
Opossums, also popularly called possums in North America, are docile marsupials of the Americas.
