They average 25-30 inches in length, not counting the tail, and weigh around two pounds. They also eat fruit and leaves of various plants. They eat crustaceans, insects, and frogs. Unlike many opossums, they are diurnal and active in the daylight hours. They dig their own burrows and make sophisticated nests. They like to live in or near freshwater streams or lakes, especially around tropical forests. They have a large tail that helps them with swimming. They have large, webbed back feet to help them swim. They have a water-repellant coat and females have a waterproof pouch. They are small rodents, weighing two pounds. The water opossum lives in Mexico and Central America and is the only marsupial that is adapted to aquatic life. Andean white-eared opossum, Didelphis pernigra.Common opossum, Didelphis marsupialis (This species is one of the most common in South America).White-eared opossum, Didelphis albiventris. The Virginia Opossum is part of the Didelphis Genus, which also includes: Some other species of opossum have this habit as well. They do not, however, hang by their tails, as is popular lore. They will lie motionless, and it seems to be an involuntary action on their part. The phrase “playing possum” comes from the Virginia Opposum’s habit of “playing dead” when threatened by another animal. The Virginia opossum is a marsupial and has a pouch, the only mammal that does in the United States. They were introduced in other areas of the country during the depression and have spread since then. They have many predators in the wild and may survive better in urban environments as a result. They are scavengers and eat what is available, including small animals, plants, fruits, grains, and carrion. They live in hollow logs, and have been known to make nests under buildings, and fill their nests with leaves and paper. This animal is nocturnal, and they are solitary except during mating season. They have a short lifespan, normally living just two years and maybe a little longer in captivity. They reproduce a lot, so hunting and even loss of habitat have not hurt their population. The Virginia Opossum is one of the larger marsupials but is still only around 12-13 pounds when fully grown, and about 21 inches long. They are adaptable though and can live in areas where humans have altered the landscape. They are one of the earth’s oldest mammals, according to evolutionary science. Many of them are small and are called mouse varieties. These animals evolved in the Americas and in Australia, but not on other continents. The Opossum that lives in the United States is the size of a cat. There are a few dozen species that live in Central and South America. What is called the Virginia Opossum is the only species of this marsupial that lives in the United States. For this article, we are going to focus on the opossum of the Americas. There are dozens of species on opposite sides of the world. It is popular to write “opossum,” and drop the “O” when speaking in both countries. Both countries could then lay a claim to either one. In both countries, people pronounce it “possum” and sometimes use it in writing with or without the “O” at the beginning. The possum is a very similar animal that lives in Australia and New Guinea. Scientists and most dictionaries say an opossum is the Virginia opossum or any of those that live in North or South America. The words possum and opossum are used interchangeably but they refer to different animals.
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