OPOSSUM
Didelphis virginiana
- Habitat: Woodlands and thickets but they are very often found within human altered areas
- Status: Least Concern
- Population Trend: Increasing
- Diet: Birds, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, carrion, insects, terrestrial worms, leaves, seeds, grains, fruit, and nuts
- Weight: 5 - 13 lbs.
- Size: 13" - 22" long; 8" - 11" tall
- Lifespan: 1 - 2 years in the wild; up to 10 years in human care
- Interesting Facts:
- The young of an opossum are about the size of a bee when they are born. Females have a fur lined pouch on their abdomen into which these tiny, under-developed young crawl.
- Opossums do not hibernate, but during very cold weather they may nest in a hollow log or abandoned burrow for several days at a time.
- The Virginia opossum is the only living marsupial from North America. It is common in the eastern USA and has spread north and west.
