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Opossums
Rescue and Rehabilitation
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Most opossum babies end up orphaned,
because their mother was hit by a car (their only
real defense is to play dead...) or killed by dogs.
So PLEASE, if you care and you happen to hit
an opossum with your car - accidents happen - take
a minute and make sure that there are no babies on
the animal, because they usually survive a lot within
momma's pouch. After all, they are America's only
Marsupials. |
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| Movies |
| April
13, 5 new arrivals, 6 weeks old (571 KB, mpg) |
April
17, licking milk from eyedropper (1.3 MB, mpg) |
April
17, licking milk from eyedropper (1.3 MB, mpg) |
| April
22, eating out of bowl first time (1.3 MB, mpg) |
April
23, release of 4 months old (1.9 MB, flash) |
May
4th, outside enclosure
(1.3 MB, mpg) |
Many thanks to http://www.opossums-opossums.com who provided us with this valuable information about opossums!! |
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Opossum
Facts
- North America's only marsupial (female has
a pouch) mammal. The female carries and nurses
her young in her marsupium until they are
about 2 to 3 months old; then they are carried
on her back another 1 to 2 months whenever
they are away from the den.
- Size of a cat; grey to black fur; black
eyes; pink nose, feet and tail; black ears;
and pointed nose.
- Solitary and nocturnal: usually slow moving;
when frightened and unable to flee may fall
into an involuntary shock-like state, "playing
'possum".
- Hiss or growl and show their 50 sharp teeth
when frightened; but, in reality, they are
gentle and placid— they prefer to avoid
all confrontations and wish to be left alone.
- Omnivorous: eats insects, snails, rodents,
berries, over-ripe fruit, grasses, leaves,
and carrion; occasionally will eat snakes,
ground eggs, corn or other vegetables.
- Adaptable; able to live wherever water,
food, and shelter exist. At home in trees;
uses its prehensile tail to help stabilize
position when climbing— it does not,
however, hang by its tail.
- Few live beyond the age of 1 year in the
environment; rare reports of living 5 to 10
years in captivity. Killed by many predators:
humans (and cars), dogs, cats, owls, and larger
wildlife.
- Opossums are solitary nocturnal animals,
but may become diurnal in cold weather. They
build the nests in tree hollows and spend
most of their time there. Opossums don't hibernate,
but remain inactive during severe frosts.
Without nests Opossums are unable to survive.
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Sometimes they choose garages and attics as
their temporary quarters because they are pushed
out of their natural habitat and forced into closer
proximity to people. In the wild Opossums have
many predators: dogs, cats, owls, foxes, and other
larger wildlife, but mostly Opossums suffer from
humans and cars. In danger Opossums can feign
death or drool heavily for a predator to think
the Opossum is sick and unappetizing. Or they
hiss and growl, showing sharp teeth, but it's
only a bluff. These gentle and placid animals
prefer to avoid confrontations. |
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Opossums have several ways of
picking things up. Their back feet have opposable
toes like the man's thumb. They can wrap the
tail around things or hang on the tail, like
monkeys do. They can also use their front
feet for picking up things although they don't
have opposable thumbs. Opossums don't have
their own territory, but they are always on
the move in search for food. Females stay
in smaller areas while they can care for the
youth. Opossums make clicking sounds during
mating season or hiss and growl if threatened.
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Opossums -
Habitat
Opossums inhabit the United
States east of the Rocky Mountains, Central
America, and Pacific coastal North America.
The Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial found
in the North America. In South America and Australia
there are about 80 species of Opossums. Opossums
lived during the era of dinosaurs - fossil remains
have been found from 70 million years ago.
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Opossums
- Reproduction
The breeding season for Opossums
begins in December and may continue through
October with most of the infants born between
February and June. Like all marsupials, Opossum
females have a well-developed pouch. They
produce an average of 7 young, once or twice
a year (litters of 17 kids have been reported).
At birth, the infants are hairless, embryonic-looking,
and weigh about 0.1 grams because the period
of gestation is 12-13 days and because they
are born at a very early stage in their development.
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Young Opossums
have to make a long and difficult journey from
the birth canal into the pouch and latch onto
a teat. The mother helps by licking the hair
leading into the pouch. There are only 13 teats
in the pouch and not all may be functional,
so the excess infants will not survive. The
young open the eyes at around 60-70 days and
are weaned at about 100 days of age. Then they
are often carried as they cling onto the mother's
back. After separation from the mother, littermates
may share common dens for some time. Very few
young Opossums survive to become adults. |
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Opossums are considered to be
furbearers, but they are not taken in large
numbers because their pelt has little value.
Opossums are nature's sanitation engineers;
they eat road-kill, carrion, rotting fruits,
and pests. Also Opossums are of great interest
for scientists since they are the only marsupials
in America, while Australian marsupials are
driven to extinction by more modern mammals.
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Weight: 9-13 lbs (4-6 kg).
Some species reach only 300 gr.
Length: 15-20 inches (38-50 cm). Some species
are 10-12 inches.
Life Span: 1-2 years in the wild, up to 10 years
in captivity. |
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Opossums
- Conservation
In the wild Opossums are closely
linked with the ecology of the forests. Devastating
fires destroy nest-sites and cause great declines
in Opossums populations. Tall, straight trees
favored by wild Opossums are highly valued
for the production of timber. The technique
of tree removing is very detrimental for all
animals, including Opossums. The population
crash has already begun and extinction of
some species of Opossums in the South America
and Australia is possible.
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Opossums
- Diet
Opossums don't have any methods
for storing food or energy so they need stable
food sources and that's why their diet is
so varied. Opossums feed mostly on carrion.
Other food sources for the Opossum include
garbage, grass, leaves, insects, frogs, small
birds and rodents, snakes, and earthworms.
Opossums like to treat themselves with berries,
seeds, flowers, and fruits and their favorites
are persimmons, apples, and corn.
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| Photos |
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| Opossum with 3 legs, birth defect |
Dwarf Opossum with big 3-legged sister |
6 Opossums a minute before release |
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