The clearing of dense forests in these areas and further north by settlers allowed the opossum to move northward.
Most people are familiar with the phrase “playing possum” derived from the opossum’s habit of feigning death when approached by a potential predator. [59] She appeared on a TV talk show to predict the 2011 Oscar winners, similar to the World Cup predictions made previously by Paul the Octopus, also in Germany. The Virgina opossum is a game species furbearer with seasons and limits. In North America, there are two marsupials found on the continent. The letter suggests even earlier descriptions. [5] Its pre-European settlement range was generally as far north as Maryland; southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; Missouri and Kansas. Each foot has five digits with all but the first digit on the hind foot having claws. It is a successful opportunist. The Animal Store sometimes offers captive-bred Virginia Opossums for sale. The first digit of the hind foot is opposable and functions like the human thumb, enabling the opossum to grasp objects while climbing.
The dental formula of an opossum is 5134/4134.
There is no real concrete answer to why the opossum begins with a silent "O". January 12, 2009, The joy of the ‘Joy of Cooking,’ circa 1962, Possum Day Episode of the Beverly Hillbillies, German celebrity opossum misses one Oscar pick, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia_opossum&oldid=986317542, Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States), Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands, Articles needing additional references from September 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from March 2018, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from Collier's Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Range, showing both native range and introductions in the west; these areas are currently expanding northward (e.g., into Wisconsin and Minnesota), This page was last edited on 31 October 2020, at 03:00. (2006).
The ancient marsupials in North America became extinct. Glen Jean, WV Although it is widely distributed in the United States, the Virginia opossum's appearance in folklore and popularity as a food item has tied it closely to the American Southeast. It is a solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat. The possums of Australia, whose name is derived from a similarity to the opossums of the Americas, are also marsupials, but of the order Diprotodontia. [10] They are one of the world's most variably sized mammals, since a large male from northern North America weighs about 20 times as much as a small female from the tropics. Virginia opossum tracks generally show five finger-like toes in both the fore and hind prints. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), commonly known as the North American opossum, is the only marsupial found north of Mexico. Until they are about 85 days old, the young either travel with the mother in the pouch or on her back. They are surprisingly resistant to rabies,[49] most likely because they have lower body temperatures than most placental mammals. [18] Death feigning normally stops when the threat withdraws, and it can last for several hours.
[35] They leave their mother after about four or five months. [31] Because of this, placing an injured opossum in a confined space with its healthy counterparts is inadvisable. [35] The young then climb onto the mother's back where she carries them for the remainder of their time together. In animation, it is often used to depict uncivilized characters or "hillbillies". Opossum farms have been operated in the United States in the past. [25] Attracted to carrion on the side of the highway, opossums are at an increased risk of being hit by motor vehicles. Opossums have long, hairless, prehensile tails, which can be used to grab branches and carry small objects. Classification: Game Species and Furbearer [5] The name opossum is applied more generally to any of the other marsupials of the families Didelphidae and Caenolestidae. Virginia opossum (Photo by U.S. Although they prefer deciduous woodlands with streams, they use all habitats within their range. Didelphis was apparently one of the later migrants, entering North America about 0.8 million years ago. [35] A female opossum may have one to three litters per year. Contact us today for more inf They are also scavengers, who will eat dead animals. [35] Males extend their range in search of mates which puts them at greater risk of injury from motor vehicles and predators due to unknown territory. If a predator grabs and shakes the opossum, the opossum will feign death while defecating and emitting a foul-smelling greenish substance from its anal glands. Built in the late 1920s its facade is decorated with polychrome sculptures of animals symbolizing various attributes of insurance, including a possum to represent "protection. Its range has been expanding steadily northward into British Columbia, Canada. [29][28] Persimmons are one of the opossum's favorite foods during the autumn. Fish and Wildlife Service), Mailing Address:1701 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-1700, Report Wildlife Violations:1-800-662-7137, Copyright © 2020 N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Conserving North Carolina's Wildlife Resources, Learning About North Carolina's Wildlife Resources, Wildlife Law Enforcement in North Carolina, On the Road, On the Water. [7] It is now found throughout Central America and North America east of the Rockies from Costa Rica to southern Ontario and is expanding its range northward, northwesterly and northeasterly at a significant pace. Though litter size ranges from one to 15 young, typically only 4 to 7 successfully reach the pouch. Individual adult tracks generally measure 1.9 in long by 2.0 in wide (4.8 × 5.1 cm) for the fore prints and 2.5 in long by 2.3 in wide (6.4 × 5.7 cm) for the hind prints. They eat eggs, lizards, worms, maggots.
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