COMMON NAME(S): Virginia opossum (opossum, possum)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: (Didelphis virginiana)

CLASSIFICATION: Phylum: Chordata

                                Class: Mammalia

                                Order: Didelphimorphia

                                Family: Didelphidae

DESCRIPTION:       Length: 15"-40"/400-940mm

                               Weight: 3-15 lbs. /1.3-6.8 kg.

                               Males are generally larger than females

General: Virginia opossums have a long pointed snout; the face is mostly white. Ears are large, naked, and mostly black. Pelt has a grizzled appearance due to white or gray guard hairs overlying a black/ gray undercoat. The prehensile tail is almost hairless. The front feet have five clawed toes each. The back feet have four clawed toes and a fifth toe that is opposable and lacks a claw. Back paws have an additional opposable toe lacking a claw. Mature females possess a fur-lined abdominal pouch.

RANGE: Southern Ontario, British Columbia, much of the U.S., Mexico, S. to Costa Rica

HABITAT: Deciduous forest, marshland, agriculture, suburban, and urban habitats with permanent water, from sea level to 10,000 feet

STATUS:                 General: Common

                               WA State: Introduced, Unclassified

DIET: Omniverous. Diet consists of berries, fruits, grass, invertebrates, fungi, poisonous snakes, small animals, carrion

REPRODUCTION: The breeding season varies according to region and can begin as early as late December and last until November. Gestation lasts 12-13 days. Opossums are the only North American Marsupial. When first born, the young appear embryonic, but possess claws on the toes of the front paws. They use a "swimming" motion to climb into the pouch where they must attach to a teat in order to survive. A litter may range in size from 5-18, but is dependent upon the number of teats (usually 13). The young are weaned between 75-106 days.

LIFE SPAN: 1-2 years

BEHAVIOR: Opossums are primarily nocturnal, terrestrial, and arboreal and are strong swimmers. They are nomadic, bedding down in a different location often nightly. Opossums make several sounds consisting of clicks, hisses, growls, and screeches. When threatened, opossums will growl, hiss, and show their teeth. If this bluff does not work, they will feign death.

SOURCES: Mammals of the Pacific Northwest: From the Coast to the High Cascades – Maser

The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals – Wilson & Ruff

The Wild Mammals of Missouri- Schwartz & Schwartz

Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, Economics- Chapman & Feldhamer