Christmas Is All Around Us

As a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer, I’ve had the very unique opportunity to foster two different litters of orphaned opossums at my home over the past year. Even though I didn’t need any more reasons to love opossums, the amount of fascinating things I have learned through my experience has given me a deeper respect and appreciation for one of Earth’s most unique creatures.

Here are ten of many reasons why everyone should love a ‘possum.

1. They are All-American. It doesn’t get more American than opossums. They are the only modern marsupial native to North America. Not only that, but they’ve been around since the time of the dinosaurs. Nowadays, while Europeans can only marvel at and adore their captive opossum specimens like the famous Heidi of Germany, we can boast the privilege of seeing them nearly every evening picking through our trashca—er, in their natural habitat.

2. Feats of birthing. When opossum babies are born they are about the size of the tip of an eraser. They are basically little embryos! Even as such, the tiny creatures have to somehow make their way, unaided, up their mother’s belly and into her pouch. Try accomplishing that 13 days after you are conceived.

3. They have lots of teeth. That ain’t no rodent; opossums have more teeth than any other land mammal—50! This makes for an impressive display when an adult opossum feels endangered. In reality, the opossum is pretty defenseless, and would rather play dead than take on an attacker. I wouldn’t recommend getting bitten by one, but they aren’t as scary as they pretend to be. Those 50 teeth are great for eating, which opossums are terribly fond of. They take the term “omnivore” to the next level, feasting on anything from coffee grounds to ground snakes, and everything in between. They eat a great deal of pests such as snails, slugs, rats, and carrion. There have been studies done that suggest that declining opossum population are partly responsible for an increase in lyme disease infection among humans. Opossums are so good at grooming themselves and consuming the ticks they find, that they can actually help prevent the spread of lyme disease.

4. They get a clean bill of health. It is thought that the low body temperature of opossums is what gives them their unique ability to thwart off viruses. Opossums very rarely catch any form of contagious disease, including rabies. So of all the wild animals that you could have hanging out in your yard, opossums are likely to be the cleanest of them all by far.

5. They are agile. With the help of their prehensile tails and their four little “hands,” opossums can get around surprisingly well. They have opposable thumbs on their front and hind feet, which not even humans have.

6. They are cute as a bug! I think baby opossums look like Mickey Mouse. Even if you disagree, you can’t resist their beady little eyes, crinkly soft black ears, and tiny hands that make them look like they are wearing gloves with the fingertips cut off!

7. They are (relatively) smart. In certain types of intelligence tests, opossums score higher than dogs. Despite their tiny brains, they are more on par with a pig in the smarts department.

8. They are quiet and unobtrusive. Unless you have a chicken coop, or leave your garbage out at night, you probably won’t even notice that opossums are experts at cohabiting with humans. They are silent, slow, gentle creatures of the night who are just looking for a quick bite to eat before they move on. Unlike other “nuisance” wildlife, you probably won’t ever find an opossum nesting in your attic or setting up camp in the walls of your home. You let opossums be, and they will just be. No need to disturb them.

9. Cats are cool with them. I’ve never met a cat who had a problem with an opossum. In fact, they don’t ever seem to notice each other much at all. My cats express a mild interest in the babies that I foster, but after a few sniffs they seem to know that it’s nothing to fear or hunger for. It’s an odd sort of acquaintance, but it seems to work out well for both species.

10. Opossums are extremely adaptable. You could say that the definition of a highly evolved animal is its ability to adapt to its situation. It’s simply a matter of natural selection, and opossums are top-notch at figuring out how to cope. There are few wild animals who possess the ability to survive, even flourish, among humans in cities. Opossums are as comfortable in the alleys among high-rise apartments as they are in secluded forests and wetlands. Nobody in America is deprived of the opportunity to know the opossum in all his glory. Opossums are truly remarkable creatures.