Seen on my friend's deck tonight in her bird feeder. Really likes safflower seeds. Not as clear as I would have like, but taken with a cell phone through a glass door.
I like your capture. One time my hubby saw one of these in our yard and screamed that we had a rat. So he sees like Call Me Joe. It must be the long naked tail.
It's a harmless opossum. Virginia opossums are hated for their looks ... let's face it not everyone can be beautiful. It doesn't detract from its importance in the environment. They kill roaches, venomous snakes and eat ticks. They don't carry rabies even though they drool and snarl.
@joemuli It's a harmless opossum. Virginia opossums are hated for their looks ... let's face it not everyone can be beautiful. It doesn't detract from its importance in the environment. They kill roaches, venomous snakes and eat ticks. They don't carry rabies even though they drool and snarl.
@wakelys It's a harmless opossum. Virginia opossums are hated for their looks ... let's face it not everyone can be beautiful. It doesn't detract from its importance in the environment. They kill roaches, venomous snakes and eat ticks. They don't carry rabies even though they drool and snarl.
@kjarn It's a harmless opossum. Virginia opossums are hated for their looks ... let's face it not everyone can be beautiful. It doesn't detract from its importance in the environment. They kill roaches, venomous snakes and eat ticks. They don't carry rabies even though they drool and snarl.
@jeanniec57 thank you for info. Sadly I have a real issue with rats and this little creature has a rat like tail. I will have another look and try and feel the love.
@wakelys I am not scolding you ...I do understand... they have really no looks and when cornered they emit a foul odor, snarl and drool. That's all they have to work with. THANK YOU for having another look. LOL ... they are hard on the eyes.
I work for an environmental education center and wildlife center. I love opossums. They are so misunderstood. They surely are no beauties. But I adore them just the same.
Oh yes, having that bird feeder as accessible as this one is an open invitation to any critter brave enough to climb on the deck! I have never thought them to be pleasant to look at, but I've never minded them either. I liked learning about some of the beneficial things they do. Only on 365!
I work for an environmental education center and wildlife center. I love opossums. They are so misunderstood. They surely are no beauties. But I adore them just the same.
Thanks for all your comments. The standing joke around here is that people don't recognize them in this form because they're used to seeing flattened in the road, having been run over by a vehicle. The real name for this creature is opossum, but is frequently shortened to possum. however there is another animal in Australia that is a possum that is not genetically related to the creature shown above. (It has a hairy tail) Interesting discussion @jeanniec57