Opossum LOVE

By Sara Scudier

Ohio certified volunteer natualist

Virginia opossums are medium-sized mammals, about the size of a house cat, with short legs and thick bodies.

They are the only marsupial (the young are carried in a pouch) native to North America.

Their fur is typically gray, but it may range to red, brown or even black, with long white tipped guard hairs.

They have large, furless, delicate black ears, and a long naked tail, which is about 93 percent as long as their body.

Their tail is prehensile and is used as an additional limb, crucial for climbing.

Their dark feet also are specialized for climbing and include an opposable toe.

These animals may live in woodlands and thickets but are very often found within human-altered areas.

They are successful in urban environments because they are small, nocturnal and have many young.

Virginia opossums make nests in brush piles, hollow trees and drainage areas.

They do not dig their own burrow, but will use one that has been abandoned by a skunk or woodchuck.

Opossums do not hibernate, but reduce their activity during the bitter cold seasons.

They begin their nightly activities around dusk and remain active until dawn.

They live by themselves, and only get together during the breeding season.

Virginia opossums communicate with each other with clicking sounds, usually two males threatening each other or a mother calling to her young.

Many people now fear Virginia opossums because of rabies; however, opossums are not common carriers of the disease.

Virginia opossums can get rabies (like all mammals), but do not typically pass it on to others.

Normally, opossums are very shy of people and avoid them.

Disease ecologist Rick Ostfeld and his colleagues at the Cary Institute have found that opossums are disastrous for black-legged ticks.

Their immune systems kill off the pathogens that carry Lyme far more effectively than other species’ do, and they carefully groom their skin and devour any ticks they come across.

A single opossum may kill 5,000 ticks every week.

They sometimes raid garbage cans at night for food.

Overall, Virginia opossums are very helpful by cleaning up dead animals, and by controlling rodent and insect populations.

Some people eat them, and their fur is used to make clothing.

Many opossums are killed on roads each year as they try to eat roadkills.

Predators include hawks, owls, foxes, and of course, humans!

For help on identifying tracks and signs of damage in your yard and garden, go to: http://go.osu.edu/opossum.