Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Description Opossums are cat-sized mammals with a pointed snout, grayish fur, small ears, and a long, scaly tail. It can use its tail to hang from tree branches, and it has paws with opposable "thumbs.
VIRGINIA OPOSSUM FACTS
Description
The Virginia Opossum has a long head and pointed snout, with long whiskers. The body is shaped like a large cat and has a long pointed tail with a scaly appearance.
Virginia Opossum
: Family Didelphidae : Didelphis virginiana Kerr
Description.
An Virginia opossum female may have as many as 25 babies, but she usually will have between seven to eight. The reason opossums have so many babies to insure that some of them survive.
Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
A marsupial that lives in North America, and is often seen in urban environments. It 'plays dead' when threatened by predators.
The Virginia Opossum is about 2 ½ feet in length, which includes its foot-long hairless tail. The Virginia Opossum uses its tail to grasp onto things (prehensile). It weighs 4-5 pounds.
The Virginia opossum is gray or black with white-tipped guard hairs and a long, pointed snout. The tail slightly prehensile (grasping) and mostly hairless.
SIZE:
Approximately 609-914 mm (24-36 inches) ...
Virginia Opossum
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Click to enlarge. (81 kb) ...
Virginia Opossums (Dilephis virginiana)
Shrews
Appalachian Water Shrew (Sorex palustris punctualatus) ...
Virginia Opossum
Variegated Fritillary
Virginia Pine
Pinus virginiana (scientific) ...
Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia ...
Virginia Opossum
The only marsupial from North America.
Wallaby
Wallabies are small to medium-sized kangaroos.
Virginia opossums are well-known for pretending to be dead to avoid being eaten by predators. This is called "playing dead" or "playing possum.
Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) - U
White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) - C
White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) - C ...
The Virginia opossum is the only opossum (Didelphidae) and the only marsupial in North America. Female marsupials have an external abdominal pouch.
Small- to medium-sized mammals and birds are preferred, including hares and rabbits (Leporidae), mice (Muridae), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), squirrels (Sciuridae), pocket gophers (Geomyidae), ...
Originally native to the eastern United States, the Virginia Opossum was intentionally introduced into the west during the Great Depression, probably as a source of food.
Opossums (Family Didelphidae)
Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
Shrews (Family Soricidae)
Elliott's Short-tailed Shrew Blarina hylophaga
Least Shrew Cryptotis parva
Prairie Shrew Sorex haydenii ...
The Virginia opossum, found as far north as New York, resembles a large rat with a white face and long, ...
Several mammals native to eastern North America roam the Zoo grounds by day and night, making homes in the park. Some of these include deer mice, Virginia opossums, red and gray foxes, Eastern chipmunks, coyotes, raccoons, white-tailed deer, ...
There are more than 60 different species of opossum, which are often called possums. The most notable is the Virginia opossum or common opossum-the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.
Florida's only marsupial (a mammal of the order Marsupialia having a pouch containing the mammary glands and serving as a receptacle for the young) is the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).
DIDELPHIMORPHIA: Didelphidae (New World Opossums)
Common Name Scientific Name Distribution
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana ...
Rufous hare-wallaby or Mala
Rufous hare-wallaby or Mala
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil
Virginia Opossum
Water opossum or yapok
Water opossum or yapok
Yellow-footed rock wallaby
Yellow-footed rock wallaby ...
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana virginiana)
water shrew (Sorex palustris)
white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
woodchuck (Marmota monax monax)
woodland jumping mouse (Napaeozapus insignis roanensis) ...
 See also: Opossum, Marsupial, Mouse, Rabbit, Water opossum
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