References Allen, C., R. Marchinton, W. MacLentz. They have five toes on each foot, the “big toe” on the hind foot lacks a claw but is an opposable thumb, and a pouch for young develops during breeding season on the female. Opossums are good to have around. Geographic Range. They are … The Virginia opossum can often be found in wooded areas, though its habitat may vary widely. Virginia opossums are nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial. Transverse plates develop on the roof of the mouth to anchor the young to the nipple. They can also swim or climb to escape from danger. Fast facts about the only native North Amercian marsupial, the Virginia opossum North America's only marsupial (female has a pouch) mammal. This play can enable the opossum to escape predation, as most predators do not eat carrion. Benjamin Harrison had two pet opossums named Mr. Updates? They are very good climbers and may establish their dens in trees. It has a white face and thin, black ears. Its ears, eyes, eye rings, and feet and the basal one-third to one-half of the naked tail are black. They commonly prey on snakes, including poisonous species, and are immune to pit viper venom. Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub, 2. VIRGINIA OPOSSUM FACTS Description The Virginia Opossum has a long head and pointed snout, with long whiskers. The coarse coat of long guard hair overlying the shorter, dense underfur may be either pale gray (gray phase) or mainly black (black phase). The Virginia opossum is North America's only marsupial. Virginia Opossum Facts: Feigning death. Scientists estimate that a single opossum can kill about 5,000 ticks in The Virginia Opossum is the ideal visitor to your yard. The common opossum, also known as the Virginia opossum, is a somewhat maligned but fascinating creature. The toes and the tips of the ears usually are white in northern populations and black in Mexico and Central America. The Virginia opossum. An individual will curl up with its mouth open, tongue hanging out, and it looks dead. It was Captain John Smith who used the term opossum for the first time in 1608. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection.Source Their ears are large and delicate and the tail is prehensile, adapted for gripping and wrapping around tree limbs. Opossums are optimistic omnivores cleaning up our environment each night of trash, road kill, even keeping those pesky rodents and … Opossums Kill Ticks by the Thousands ... Outside of Mexico, the Virginia opossum is the only known marsupial to make its home in North America – although there are several other species of opossum that can be found in other parts of the world. The body is shaped like a large cat and has a long pointed tail with a scaly appearance. The fur is pale grey with white cheeks. The Virginia opossum lives in regions as far north as Canada and as far south as Central America, while other types of opossums only inhabit countries south of the United States. Meet the virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) including their appearance, diet, habitat, range, breeding, facts and behavior. The Virginia opossum is a competent climber and swimmer and can reach a running speed of 4.6 mph (7.4 km/h). Opossums are great at reducing the tick population in a given area. The opossum has a long, pointed face with black eyes, long whiskers and a distinctive pink nose. An opossum is about the size of a house cat. Virginia opossums have a long head and pointed snout, rounded naked ears, and a scaly, nearly hairless, prehensile tail that is about half of their total length. Each foot has five toes; one toe is opposable. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found north of Mexico. The albinotic colour phase is a rare and unusual colour pattern, often misinterpreted as albino (true albinos have white fur and pink eyes and skin), in which the fur is white but the colour of the eyes, eye rings, feet, and basal portion of the tail is dark brown or black. Their underfur is usually whitish and tipped in black, but their coloration varies throughout their range. It is a solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat. It is familiar to many North Americans as they frequently inhabit settled areas due to the associated proximity to food sources, notably trash cans. The Virginia opossum has a total of 50 teeth, more than any other North American mammal. The life span of Virginia opossums is short. Adult opossums reach an overall body length of 13–37 inches with a tail measuring at 8.5–19 inches. By eating carrion, the risk of disease spreading in the area is lowered. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They don’t hibernate but do reduce activity during the coldest seasons. They like cover and places to hide. Virginia opossums change their denning sites often. Able climbers, opossums occupy a variety of habitats as long as water is available. General Facts » Only one species of opossum, the Virginia opossum, lives in the United States and Canada. Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) have a wide range throughout Central and North American, which continues to expand.Currently, Virginia opossums can be found from Costa Rica to southern Ontario, Canada. These marsupials are great climbers. Its long head has a pointed snout, long whiskers and 50 sharp teeth. These opossums are scavengers, making them very important in their habitat. Most, if not all, marsupials live in Australia. Rare in the north, black-phase individuals are more common in the southern United States and farther south. VIRGINIA OPOSSUM FACTS. Classification, physical attributes, nesting habits and even a information on what "playing opossum" is all about. Virginia Opossum Fun Facts. Two litters per year are normal, but in colder northern regions the young from the second litter rarely survive the winter. The opossum has been around for at least 70 million years and is one of Earth's oldest surviving mammals! A marsupial is an animal with a pouch, like a kangaroo or a koala. Movement, habitat use and denning of opossums in the Georgia piedmont. There are no major threats to this species. They are about the same size as a large house cat, having a triangular head with a long pointed nose. In this article, we will be mostly discussing Virginia opossum facts and benefits to the garden. Males are usually larger than females. In that sense, Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are perfectly suited for life in the city.They avoid unwanted attention by foraging primarily at night. The pouch young remain firmly attached to a nipple for their first 50 to 55 days. A wild opossum may even live for only a year while opossums raised in captivity can live up to four years. They have long, hairless, prehensile tails and feet with an opposable hallux (or thumb) that help them hold on to branches. The Didelphis Virginiana, known as the Virginia Opossum is North America's only marsupial. But they can show directional turns to avoid being captured when pursued. Opossum eyes do have whites and irises, but because their pupils are so large, their eyes appear completely black from a distance. The only opossum species occurring north of Mexico is the. The IUCN Red List and other sources do not provide the Virginia opossum total population size, but this animal is common and widespread throughout its known range. Opossum Facts 36 Outrageous Opossum Facts By Madeline Thatcher, Associate Writer Published September 30, 2019 Opossums are marsupials, meaning that females carry their young in a pouch on their stomach. Below, explore facts about the Virginia opossum including its habits and how to identify damage. Virginia Opossum Facts, Lifespan, and Habitat North American Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) with a winter coat. Females carry their young in a fur-lined pouch. The myth that the opossum gives birth through its nose probably begins from the female’s habit of licking the pouch and surrounding fur just before the young are born. If caught on the ground and not able to escape, a Virginia opossum may become catatonic. They are important as seed dispersers, redistributing undamaged seeds from the genera Diospyros and Asimina, among others. During this behavior the animal becomes motionless, this may last as little as a minute, or it may The tail slightly prehensile (grasping) and mostly hairless. The face is white in northern populations and dusky brown or blackish in populations from Texas southward but always with a white cheek patch—a characteristic used to identify this species where it occurs together (sympatry) with the common opossum. The average number of young is typically 7 or 8. The name “opossum” was used for the first time in western culture in 1608 by Captain John Smith. Not all marsupials live in Australia; around 100 species are found in the Americas, and it is thought that it was here that the first marsupials appeared. It is a successful opportunist. Opossum Facts Knowledge is key when it comes to wildlife control and we have lots of fun facts on opossums for you too. Populations in western Canada and along the Pacific coast south to northern Baja California, Mexico, originated as introductions from the eastern United States. They only remain in one den for a long period when weaning young. On entering the pouch, each baby must find a nipple and attach itself or it will die. Although they are still trapped, their fur has a low market value. It has a long, tapered, scaly tail. Most reproductive females are under a year of age, and few live long enough to breed a second year. Its ears are hairless, black, and tipped or edged with white. Virginia opossums are nocturnal, solitary and terrestrial. They don’t hibernate but do reduce activity during the coldest seasons. Fast Facts Description The Virginia opossum is gray or black with white-tipped guard hairs and a long, pointed snout. It is not a matter of IF the opossum will become ill, it is a matter of when!. In the United States, the animal is typically referred to simply as a possum. It has a triangular head and a long pointed nose. We see many cases of Metabolic Bone Disease (nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism) in opossums that have been fed poor diets. The animal lives in a wide range of habitats, including open woods, deciduous forests, and farmland. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the single species found in the United States, but at least 103 species … Opossum Waleed-July 10, 2018 0 The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is North America’s only marsupial. The Virginia opossum is predominantly found in east and south of North America. The Virginia opossum breeds from December through August, depending on the latitude. Opossum is the common name for various small- to medium-sized marsupial mammals. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found in North America north of Mexico. Their prepared habitat is wooded or shrubby. POSTURE. White hair covers its face, and its body is a sparse, coarse grizzl… Their fore and hind feet have five toes, all with sharp claws except for the clawless, thumblike, opposable innermost toe on the hind feet. They begin their nightly activities at dusk and are active until dawn. The Virginia opossum is about the size of a cat. The oldest documented free-living Virginia opossum was a three-year-old male from Maryland. Of the 100+ opossum species in the world, the most common and recognizable in the United States is the Virginia opossum. Natural Scavengers and Stealthy Hunters Opossums are natural scavengers, a tendency which has caused them to run afoul of humans for years by raiding their garbage. The opossum (order Didelphimorphia) is the only marsupial found in the Americas. The common opossum is found in Central America and the northern South America. Sources vary widely about their weight, with some reporting a range of 4.6 to 6.2 pounds (2.1 to 2.8 kg) and others as high as 8.8 to 13.2 pounds (4 to 6 kg). The opossum is about the size of a large house cat. Opossums have the greatest number of teeth of any land mammal: fifty of them, razor sharp. Breeding is typically from December to August. There is a formidable array of some 50 small, sharp teeth in the mouth. Opossums inhabit a wide range, from sea level to elevations over 10,000 feet. The size of a house cat, males average about 3 kg (6.6 pounds), females about 2 kg (4.4 pounds). The female carries and nurses her young in her marsupium until they are about 2 to 3 months old; then they are carried on her back another 1 to 2 months whenever they are away from the den. Around 85 days old they begin eating solid food and are weaned completely between 93 and 105 days. The only opossum species occurring north of Mexico is the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), which ranges from lower eastern Canada and Puget Sound southward to Costa Rica; other members of that genus are found in South America.The Virginia opossum may grow to 100 cm (40 inches) in length (including the tail) and is about the size of a house cat. Opossums have a lifespan of just two years. A marsupial is an animal with a pouch, like a kangaroo or a koala. The opossum has a heavyset body covered with grayish fur. Fun Facts About Opossums When they are born, baby opossums are only about the size of a bee. The opossum (order Didelphimorphia) is the only marsupial found in the Americas. Gestation is 12–13 days. Depending on the species, female opossums have 5-13 nipples available to offspring, while … The opossum is the only species of marsupial (mammals with a pouch in which they carry their young) that is found outside of Australia an it's surrounding islands. The common opossum and Virginia opossum are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and Canada. Size Approximately 609 to 914 mm (24 to 36 inches) Weight 2.7 to 5.9 kg (6 to 13 lbs.) The Virginia opossum is a small mammal about the size of a house cat with a long, pointed nose, black hairless ears, dark eyes and a nearly hairless tail adapted to grasping objects (called “prehensile”). MBD can progress to cause immobility and death, if not corrected quickly and appropriately! The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial.There are many marsupials in Australia, but the Virginia Opossum is the only North American marsupial. The notion that the mouth of the young fuses to its mother’s nipple is also false. Read about Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum) on the Animal Diversity Web. Born blind and naked and weighing about 0.13 gram (0.0046 ounce) apiece, these tiny, larvalike young crawl upward using their forelimbs as they seek the mother’s fur-lined pouch. And they often prefer to “play possum” in stressful situations and hope the problem goes away, rather than confront it head-on. Diet Omnivorous; feeds on small vertebrates, carrion, invertebrates, and plant matter The Virginia opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks in a single season. Virginia opossums are famous for entering a catatonic state when they are alarmed; this is commonly known as “going opossum”. Although they prefer deciduous woodlands with streams, they use all habitats within their range. It’s quiet, doesn’t pick fights or leave foul odors. Instead, it waddles in, eats a rodent, scarfs down some insects and snails, munches on fallen fruit, and Opossums have been moving north in … Virginia opossum, (Didelphis virginiana), the only marsupial (family Didelphidae, subfamily Didelphinae) found north of Mexico. The opossum in the photograph above has lost the end of its tail due to frostbite. The body is shaped like a large cat and has a long pointed tail with a scaly appearance. Virginia opossums live in most parts of the United States that are east of the Rocky Mountains, and along the west coast from British Columbia in Canada and to Baja California. As many as 25 young may be born in each litter, but the maximum number raised by the mother is determined by the number of teats (normally 13) in the pouch, and the average number of pouch young is usually 7 or 8. The Virginia opossum has 13 nipples, so even if it gives birth to 20 “joeys,” only 13 have a chance at survival. It has grizzled white and gray fur. Virginia Opossums are found in Eastern North America from southern Maine, Southern Canada, and Michigan to South Dakota; south through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica. Opossums are scavengers, and they often visit human homes or settlements to raid garbage cans, dumpsters, and other containers. Dangerous insects, especially disease-carrying ticks. Lifespan. Unlike so many marsupials of today, the opossum is doing well for the following reasons: It is adaptable and able to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, insects, small vertebrates etc. Opossums are nature’s pest control and trash management. It prefers wet areas like swamps, marshes and streams. 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