The Virginia opossum: stench, screams and garbage raids (11 photos)

Yes, he looks like a lazy, shabby, overgrown rat that spent his whole life in garbage dumps. I'll tell you more, I don't know a cooler survivalist.





To make my point, I'll tell you about his achievements. About 3 million years ago, an isthmus appeared between North and South America, along which hundreds of new species poured south. Raised by a tough evolutionary race with Eurasian animals, the northerners steamrollered the fauna of the southern continent, which was once isolated. The vast majority of local marsupials died.



This event even has a name: the Great Inter-American Interchange. All animals marked in blue had animals from North America in their ancestors. And vice versa: animals marked in olive had animals from the southern continent in their ancestors.

The survivors barely held on to the niches of small animals, they hid in the foliage of tropical forests. And only the ancestors of the Virginia opossum not only survived, but also became stronger. They took advantage of the bridge that appeared and populated North America. Their range continues to expand even now! So the Virginia opossum became the northernmost marsupial on the planet!





Hello, we are roommates now.

And the opossum does not shine with physical data. The animal is the size of a cat and weighs up to 6 kilograms, runs slowly, climbs trees poorly and swims disgustingly. It does not have poison, sharp claws or excellent reaction. But the opossum has a number of rules, strict observance of which ensures its success.



Sanyaaa! Sanya, there's a monster eating my food! Save me!

Rule #1: Don't be picky

In 2016, writer Daniel Lavery wrote a brilliant phrase in his essay: "What do possums eat? FRUIT? NIGHT DIRT? OTHER RATS? The answer is yes." Add to this list insects, snails, carrion, grain, rotten vegetables, greased pizza paper, and you've got the average possum diet.



A five-year-old boy, when they explain to him that bananas should be eaten without the peel.

The situation with housing is the same. The northernmost marsupials of the planet love to sleep in a pile of leaves, respect abandoned hollows, regularly spend the night in attics and rotten stumps. No shelter at all? Pff-ff-ff, this does not stop even females with cubs. They still carry children on themselves.



Found a comfortable nest, so to speak. Only the nails are a bit in the way.

Rule #2: If you want to survive, forget about shame

The omnivorous weirdo doesn't care that half of North America considers him a garbage rat. He doesn't care that he looks like an old, tattered furry toy. The garbage containers provide him with an abundance of food, and his fur protects him well from the cold on the northern edge of his range, but prevents him from overheating on the southern one. At times, this creature looks simply disgusting, but he was able to turn even this ability to his advantage.



Any horror movie has a scene like this.

When the opossum sees its enemy, it first makes a loud, unpleasant hiss. The predator gets the feeling that it is not a small rat-like creature in front of it, but a hybrid of a bear and a snake, choking with rage. If this does not help, the marsupial admits defeat. It falls on its side, bares its teeth. Its eyes glaze over, the muscles of its musk glands relax, and the animal begins to stink furiously.



A dangerous beast is trying its best to scare you with its menacing appearance.

This is what thanatosis looks like, a technique that can deceive picky predators. Many animals, from mammals to insects, use it, but few pretend to be dead so masterfully.

The marsupial scavenger does not just fall to the ground, it falls into a catatonic state: the heartbeat slows by 46%, breathing by 31%, and the temperature drops by 0.6 C°. The usually pink tongue turns blue. Even if a predator does not disdain and starts eating the opossum, the marsupial will not react in any way. Scientists tested this in a rather cruel way: by cutting off the animal's tail while it was unconscious. The opossum remained motionless until the end of its performance.



When you ate too many cheesecakes at grandma's and couldn't get home.

Rule No. 3: Don't trust anyone

Opossums survive strictly alone. They avoid any animals they can't eat. Even their own kind. Only the breeding season makes males and females tolerate each other for a while. Not for themselves, but for future generations.



Surprisingly, domestic opossums tolerate each other's company relatively well. And they are even able to communicate with humans!

Rule No. 4: Harsh training is the key to future success

After a short pregnancy (13 days), the female gives birth to 8 to 23 babies the size of bees. Even by animal standards, opossum mothers can be called heroines - this is one of the record values ​​​​among mammals in general! True, there is not enough care for all the children. Tiny babies, who have just reached the mother's pouch, are faced with an unpleasant fact: usually the female has fewer nipples than children. The fastest and most agile will have time to suckle on the mother, and the rest will die a few hours after birth. As a result, usually 6-8 babies leave the pouch.



A minibus on Monday morning.

After such a course of a young fighter, the opossum is not afraid of anything. He sleeps in the rain, breaks into houses, hisses at dogs and evokes admiration!