WNC Nature Center: Spotlight Feature April 7, 2020

 Opossum

Didelphis virginiana When people hear "opossum," they often picture a giant dirty rat turning over their trash cans or eating the cat food. However, opossums have many unique characteristics and play a very important ecological role.

Opossums are about the size of a house cat on average and as our only native marsupial, they are more closely related to kangaroos than they are to rats or mice. They have short legs, a long pointed muzzle, large ears, and a scaly prehensile tail. Their fur is grayish in color with a white undercoat, which they clean fastid-iously much like a house cat. 

The opossum's hind feet even have an opposable "thumb" called a hallux, which makes them excellent climbers. One most well know characteristic of the opossum is its ability to play dead when they are faced with danger. "Playing dead" though is a bit of a misnomer, because in reality they become so frightened that they involuntarily go into a catatonic state for a few minutes up to 6 hours. Opossums are most active at night and are solitary omnivorous foragers. 

*They eat insects, small mammals, fruits and vegetables. They even eat venomous snakes, ticks (potentially thousands in a season), and the bones of animals, which makes them in many ways, nature's clean-up crew.

Petunia

Date of Birth: Spring 2018 Petunia came to the Nature Center in May 2019 from a local wildlife rehabilitator. She was raised illegally as someone's pet and doesn't know how to survive on her own in the wild. These fascinating marsupials can live up to three years under human care! Petunia lives on exhibit in the barn, but she is also an animal ambassador that comes out for educational programs. What Makes Petunia Unique? Opossums store excess fat in their tails and behind their eyes. Petunia was fed a little too well as a pet, and now she looks like she is crossing her eyes, due to that extra fat storage. She's on a special diet now, and with exercise, she's returning to a healthier weight. 

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