Deli Trade

Dave texted me yesterday afternoon to say he had observed an opossum feeding on seeds which have dropped from the bird feeder.  When Dave tried to get a photo, the animal scurried away under the woodpile.  A new neighbor!

The opossum (Didelphimorphia) is a house-cat-sized marsupial found throughout the Western Hemisphere.  After they graduate from mom's pouch, the opossum's young ride around on the mother's back.  It reminds me of the subway in New York City.  Americans commonly call this animal a "possum" but that term actually refers to its Australian cousin.

The opossum likes the dark and lives in burrows.  However, it doesn't like digging and so borrows its "digs" from other animals.  It has a robust immune system and is partially or fully immune to the venom of pit vipers, e.g., rattlesnakes.  When threatened, the opossum growls.  In extreme situations it may "play possum" by curling up in a fetal position, foaming at the mouth, and putting forth a foul odor to mimic a dead or dying animal.  (The parallels with Washington politics are so obvious as to not warrant comment.)  The opossum will feed on carrion, which accounts for so many becoming roadkill themselves.  They also gnosh on insects, frogs, birds, and earthworms.

At least one opossum likes the Blue Plate Special at the Esau Deli.  And I've learned that my woodpile may have become a critter motel. •••