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Table of Contents
The opossum is a marsupial that can be found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Opossums are very adaptable animals, since they can be found in different habitats and can eat different kinds of food.
See the fact file below for more information on the opossum or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Opossum worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
- Opossums are usually gray, but can be brown, black, or white, too. They’re covered with fur all over their body except for their ears and tail.
- They usually grow to the size of a large cat, but can grow even bigger. They can weigh between 8 to 14 pounds, and usually have a body length of 3 feet or more, mostly because of their long tail, which can be up to 20 inches long.
- Similar to rodents, opossums have a pointed muzzle, small, thin ears, and short legs. Like humans, opossums have five toes on each foot, and “thumbs” that help them hold onto branches.
LIFE CYCLE AND REPRODUCTION
- Opossums usually breed from January to July. The gestation period is about 11-13 days.
- Female opossums give birth to 5 to as many as 20 young per litter, though the average litter size is 9. Sometimes, only half of the litter will survive.
- Baby opossums are blind for the first few weeks of their lives.
- The young crawl to their mother’s pouch and attach themselves to a teat where they will stay for at least two months.
- After at least 50 days, the eyes will begin to open.
- Baby opossums usually leave the pouch after 80 days. They ride on their mother’s back and learn how to find food and avoid predators.
- If a baby opossum loses its mother, it makes a sneezing sound to find her. She replies with a click-like sound to find her baby.
- After 3 to 4 months, young opossums become independent.
- They reach sexual maturity at 6 months and can breed during their first year.
- Opossums live up to 1 or 2 years. The presence of many predators and hunters may affect their lifespan.
DIET
- Opossums are scavengers and omnivores. They eat things like insects, mice, reptiles, birds, berries, nuts, amphibians, and dead animals.
- They can sometimes be found raiding trash cans outside houses. They use their good sense of smell to search for food.
HABITAT
- Opossums are very adaptable animals. They can live along streams, swamps, and other small bodies of water. They can live on farms, woodlands, or in residential neighborhoods.
- They may even be found in backyards or outdoor sheds. For opossums, any place that can serve as shelter such as attics, garages, trash piles, or hollow logs are habitable.
- They sometimes choose to nest in tree cavities or in dens abandoned by other animals.
- Opossums are good at climbing trees due to their sharp claws and long tail.
- Opossums have a tail that helps them cling to trees, hold leaves, or grasp branches. Their scantily-haired tails help them climb trees and can be thought of as a fifth limb!
BEHAVIOR AND “PLAYING POSSUM”
- Opossums are nocturnal animals, which means they are mostly active at night.
- During winter months, they do not hibernate but instead hole up to stay warm. They can climb and swim well, which helps them avoid predators.
- The expression “playing possum” comes from the opossum’s reaction of ‘faking death’ to avoid predators like dogs, coyotes, or foxes. It is their natural defense mechanism.
- When they play possum, they will lie on their sides, extend their tongues, and freeze, tricking their predator into thinking that they are dead. This gives them the chance to fool their enemies and escape.
DEALING WITH POSSUMS
- Opossums are not naturally aggressive, nor do they tend to destroy yards, ruin gardens, or attack pets.
- Though opossums may raid garbage cans for food, they pose no serious harm. In fact, they can help with pests or rodent problems.
- Opossums are easy to coexist with. If you prefer to not have them near your house, you can start by removing potential food sources, like pet food left out at night.
- You can also cover your garbage cans or secure your garage and sheds. Putting fences up will help, too. Leaving lights on around the yard can prevent them from lurking around.
POSSUM: CLOSE COUSINS
- Though opossums and possums are both marsupials, they are different animals. Possums live in Australia and other parts of Oceania and Asia, while opossums are from the Americas.
- In North America, some people use the terms opossum and possum interchangeably. They both refer to the Didelphidae family. In Australia, they don’t use the term opossum. They use the term possum to talk about the Phalangeridae family.
- Australian possums have softer fur, larger ears, and a bushy tail. The two animals have similar looking snouts, feet, and eyes, though a possum looks more like a koala, while opossums are rodent-like.
- Neither are carriers of serious diseases. They are both harmless and will not attack people.
TRIVIA
- Opossums can have up to 50 teeth, more than any other mammal found in North America.
- It is very rare for opossums to carry rabies. They are also immune to snake venom.
- Some opossums can have missing ears, toes, or tails due to frostbite.
- Opossums are sometimes victims of hunting due to the market for their pelts.
- They are one of the oldest mammal species on Earth.
Opossum Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the opossum across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Opossum worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the opossum which is a marsupial that can be found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Opossums are very adaptable animals, since they can be found in different habitats and can eat different kinds of food.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Opossum Facts
- The Greater Scheme of Things
- Unlocking Opossums
- What about the Opossum?
- Opossums Overload!
- Opossums vs Possums
- Where’s the Opossum?
- Finding Opossums
- We are Family
- Protect Our Opossums
- Opossums, Our Friends
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Link will appear as Opossum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 30, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
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