Opossum Report: Adding Definitions, Details and Quotations

Kofi's Notes: The Virginia Opossum

1The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial that lives in the United States and Canada. A marsupial is a mammal that carries its young in a pouch on its belly. Kangaroos and koalas are marsupials too, but they live in Australia.

2An adult opossum is about the size of a house cat. It has gray fur, a white face, a long pointed nose and thin, bare ears.

3A newborn opossum is about the size of a honeybee. It crawls into its mother's pouch and stays there for about two months while it grows. After that, the babies often ride on their mother's back when she goes out to find food.

4Opossums are good climbers. Each back foot has a thumb-like toe that helps the opossum hold onto branches. Its long tail is prehensile, which means it can grab and hold things. An opossum can use its tail to carry bunches of leaves to its nest.

5Opossums are nocturnal, so they look for food mostly at night. They eat almost anything they can find, such as insects, snails, fruit and dead animals. An animal that eats dead animals it finds is called a scavenger.

6When an opossum is badly frightened, it may fall over and lie very still with its mouth open. It may even give off a bad smell. Many hungry animals lose interest and walk away. People call this "playing possum," but the opossum does not choose to do it. Its body does it on its own when the animal is very scared.

Kofi's Interview with Ms. Lin, a Wildlife Rescue Volunteer

Quotation A: "We once cared for a mother opossum with nine babies riding on her back."

Quotation B: "I watched a young opossum wrap its tail around a branch to keep its balance."

Quotation C: "One scared opossum lay on its side with its mouth open. After a while, it got up and walked off."