Opossum

resembles that of primitive mammals [6], which is unsurprising given that opossum-like mammals first appeared over 65 million years ago around the time when the dinosaurs were going extinct [12]. Though the opossum’s arboreal locomotion is aided by the adaptations mentioned earlier, it is still relatively slow and clumsy. However, it is a strong – if slow – swimmer, and often uses swimming as an escape mechanism. When swimming, it either uses a movement similar to its gait on land or a pacing movement (the two limbs on each side move in sync with one another and alternate with the limbs on the opposite side) [3]. Didelphis virginiana is primarily nocturnal, so it does its foraging at night. Although its…

About Opossum: Appearance, Biology, Life Cycle, Habitat, Diet, and Behavior Opossums, unique pouched mammals or marsupials, are considered as successful survivors and settlers in varied conditions and locations. They are prevalent and, even sometimes sought after as sustenance, particularly within the southern part of the United States of America. Appearance A marsupial of American origin, the opossum has a tail similar to that of a rat and posterior feet having a upturned thumb without claws. …

The turkey in “A Romance for the Wild Turkey” has been deemed to be a dumb and fearful animal. It is “…incapable of passion or anger, knows only / vague innocence and extreme caution” which is almost the complete opposite of how the opossum is perceived, as it seems to act on passion and anger deliberately if threatened. Zimmer plays into the assumption that the turkey is brainless and spineless and therefore, at the end of the Zimmer’s poem, he turns the focus to himself because his hopes that…

Monongahela National Forest is home to many unique plants and animals. Three of these organisms, the American beech tree, the black cherry tree, and the Virginia opossum, make Monongahela especially extraordinary. The American beech tree is one of the many beautiful types of trees that you can find at Monongahela National Forest. It has smooth light gray bark, that you can run your hand along without getting a scratch. The leaves are dark green and simple, and turn a golden yellow during the…

The posk, a mixture of an opossum, skunk, and fox, would be beneficial to the Temperate Deciduous Forest because the superspecies would have unique characteristics from each of the animals. The Temperate Deciduous Forest is home to many species such as beavers, newts, opossums, porcupines, foxes, scorpions, skunks, and weasels. The weather in the Temperate Deciduous Forest is cool and rainy. It also has four seasons, just as we do. In the fall the leaves change colors, in the winter they fall…

Road surveys from 2003-2011 revealed that the number of observed raccoons, rabbits, bobcats, and opossums dropped 90% or more since the pythons became established in the Everglades. The population of these animals has been severely declining over the years due to the presence of these species. “In a 2012 study, populations of raccoons had dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent, and bobcats 87.5 percent since 1997. Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared” (USGS).…

It was lunch time, so my parents went inside to make lunch. That was when I noticed a traffic cone in the driveway. Without asking my mom, I picked up the cone and examined what was underneath. I should have asked my mom first, as she was as wise as Daniel in the Old Testament. It looked like a large rat (although I later learned it was a opossum), and I declared his name as Johnny. Johnny was large, probably five pounds or more, with large teeth and a long tail, almost longer than the…

There are tens of thousands of Burmese pythons living in the Everglades (Ng 1). But why are there so many there? People from Asia are bringing pythons to Florida as pets, but when they get too big, people let the pythons go into the wild, which is mostly why there are so many pythons in the Everglades (Piven 1). With this many pythons living in the Everglades, it is certain that these Burmese pythons are changing the area. The presence of Burmese pythons is changing the Everglades by affecting…

The Temperate Deciduous Forest The temperate deciduous forest is located in Canada, Japan, China, Japan, parts of Russia, and the eastern half of United States. Everywhere there in those places were described as beautiful and majestic. When the leaves fall down from the trees down to the soil, the nutrients in the leaves are being absorbed by the soil. The soils of the temperate deciduous forest tend to be very fertile. Also, because of this, the biome has fertile soil and a long, 5-6 month…

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Burmese pythons are living in the Everglades. Burmese pythons are changing local animals, the way people live, and the affecting the ecosystem. The Burmese pythons are not from Florida article 4 states" This is totally a man made event." This proves that pythons are not eating foods that are natural so it could cause them to eat more. Article one states, "Burmese pythons are native to grassy marshes of south Asia." According to the author Burmese…