Possums have an impressive defense mechanism, which is entirely involuntary and brought on by stress. They can lie still for hours, and emit a foul odor from their anal glands which makes them even more carrion-like, deterring the predators that scared them in the first place.
Have you ever in your life seen a possum play possum?
Have you ever in your life seen a possum play dead?
When a possum is trapped and can’t get away
He turns up his toes and lays down his head,
Bats both his eyes and rolls over dead.
But then when you leave him and run off to play,
The possum that really was just playing possum
Gets up in a flash and scurries away.
William Jay Smith
Opossum facts:
In America, possum and opossum are synonymous, but “possum” in Australia refers to a completely different marsupial.
The opossum eats up to 5000 ticks per season. They also chow down on any of the venomous snakes in their range, to which they are immune (with the sole exception of the coral snake).
Their tails are prehensile, can be used like a hand.
They almost never carry rabies, because their body temperature is too low.
Possums, like cats, groom themselves frequently and thoroughly and, when not playing dead, are odorless.
There. Those are things you know now.
Please to remember that Pootie Diaries post twice a day!
The regular Pootie Diaries post daily at 1:45 pm Eastern (on Sundays at 3 pm Eastern)
and the evening Open Thread Pootie Diaries post at 10pm Eastern
Please to show ‘em both some lubs!
PWBPeeps is a group that posts a daily diary and nightly open thread for animal lovers. We share photos, seek & give advice about pet health and behavior issues, support each other in times of sadness and stress, celebrate together when times are good, and on most days have an inordinate amount of fun.
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This is an open thread.