American opossum
The American opossum, a nocturnal marsupial, is found primarily in the eastern United States, Central and South America, and Ontario, Canada. Known for their ability to thrive in diverse habitats—including forests, grasslands, and mountainous regions—these adaptable mammals have a varied diet that includes insects, fruits, small animals, and carrion. Distinct from Australian possums, American opossums belong to the family Didelphidae and exhibit unique physical traits such as long, pointed noses and prehensile tails, which allow them to climb and even hang upside down.
American opossums are generally solitary and nomadic, lacking a defined territory, and they come together primarily for breeding. Their gestation period is brief, around two weeks, but they can give birth to large litters, although typically only a few young survive due to nursing constraints and food scarcity. With good senses of hearing and vision, these animals are skilled at foraging at night. Unfortunately, they face threats from domestic pets and humans, impacting their life expectancy, which ranges from one to three years in the wild and up to eight years in captivity. Despite these challenges, American opossums play a crucial ecological role by controlling insect and small animal populations.
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American opossum
American opossums can live almost anywhere, eat almost anything, and can hang upside down by their tails.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Marsupialia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Didelphia
Species: Various (see below)
American opossums are nocturnal, marsupial mammals who live throughout the eastern half of the United States, in Central and South America, and in Ontario, Canada. They can survive in forests, grasslands, mountains, and around water. American opossums are not to be confused with other families of animals called possums. They have different teeth and other body features than the families of possums that live in Australia and nearby countries.
The diet of the American opossum changes with the seasons and is as diverse as their habitat. Opossums will eat anything from insects, small invertebrates (creatures without skeletons), small vertebrates (those animals with skeletons), and fruit, to carrion (dead animals) and garbage. Most opossums are able to climb and walk very well on all fours, and so getting food is not difficult. Because they can swim, oppossums have also been known to hunt for food in bodies of water. Opossums are positive contributors to the environment because of the critters and insects they eat.
American opossums may be as small as the Formosan mouse, which is less than three inches long with a two-inch-long tail (less than 7 1/2 centimeter with a 5-centimeter-long tail). Kan's short-tailed opossum is about the same size but has a tail four inches (10 centimeters) long. The largest opossum, the Virginia opossum, is between one and two feet long, has a tail between 9 and 20 inches long, and weighs between 4 and 12 pounds (the body is up to 1/2 meter long with a tail 22 to 50 centimeters long and weighs 2 to 5 1/2 kilograms). The Virginia opossum is similar in size to a common house cat.
Opossums have either short, dense, fine fur or longer woolly fur. Some have a combination of shorter under fur and longer outer fur. Fur is usually gray and brown in varying shades, or possibly golden. Some have stripes or masks about their faces. Opossums have long, pointed noses. Their senses of hearing and vision are very good. This helps them find food since they are nocturnal (active at night). Prehensile tails (made for curling and gripping) enable the opossums to climb and eat in trees, and even hang upside down from a branch. Many, but not all, opossums have pouches in which they carry their young.
Opossums are largely nomadic (wandering), with no defended territory. They also live alone most of the time. They may gather at food sources but do not interact with each other. Opossums also get together for breeding, which is seasonal, depending on where they live. Gestation (duration of pregnancy) is around two weeks. Litters (the number of young) may be as large as 56 young. However, the mother is only able to nurse up to 12 or 15, and so many young die very soon after birth. The average number of young is three to seven. A mother may have up to three litters a year. Many will die, though, because of a scarcity of food. Raising of the young by the mother lasts two to four months. The young are mature in 6 to 10 months.
Dogs, cats, and humans pose the greatest threat to opossums. When confronted by a predator, the opossum will bare its sharp teeth and hiss, growl, and screech.
The life span of American opossums is one to three years in the wild and up to eight years in captivity.
Bibliography
“General Oppossum Information.” Opossum Society of the United States OSUS, opossumsocietyus.org/general-opossum-information/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.
“Virginia Opossum.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/virginia-opossum. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.