Opossum Facts: Physical Characteristics, Behavior, Defenses, and Survival Adaptations

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Long, slender body
• Pointed snout
• Coarse black, grayish white, or reddish fur with white tipped guard hairs
• Guard hairs act as a raincoat, protecting the opossum from rain and snow
• The under hair is much softer
• Sometimes has 3 dark streaks: 1 over each eye and 1 along midline of crown
• Pinkish white face
• Pink nose
• Dark eyes
• Large, leaf-like, hairless ears
• Long rounded tail, 1/10 of base of tail has hair, remainder of tail is hairless
• Tail is prehensile, which means it can wrap around objects
• Each foot has 5 digits
• Back foot has a large, opposable toe or thumb with no claw, which is used for grasping
• 50 sharp teeth

BEHAVIOR:

• Nocturnal (active at night)
• Terrestrial
• Solitary, with temporary pair bonds (only come together during mating season)
• Do not hibernate
• Marsupial (carry young in a pouch during early development)
• Do not vocalize unless threatened
• Expert at hiding during the day (often more abundant than they appear)
• Slow-moving

DEFENSE:

When threatened, an opossum first hisses and shows its teeth to scare the attacker. The opossum will then "play possum," where it curls up in a coma like state. It does not move or respond to stimuli. It actually goes through physiological changes similar to fainting in humans. This paralyzed state can last from 1 minute to 6 hours. After a period of no visual cue of movement, the predator moves on.

SURVIVAL ADAPTATIONS:

• Strong swimmers
• Good climbers
• Opposable thumb on hind feet allowing the opossum to grasp
• Prehensile tail, which it wraps around objects to carry material or secure itself while climbing
• Accumulates fat and become less active in the fall
• Resistant to snake venom
• Immune to most contagious and viral diseases
• 50 teeth in a mouth that opens wide and allows it to eat a larger variety of foods and to scare attackers
• Adaptable; can live in urban areas as well as woodlands
• Eats a variety of foods, usually whatever is available since they are scavengers
• Plays possum to fool predators
• Reproduces rapidly