How are possums around other animals?

Very few animals have the privilege of being recognisable instantly by young children. The possum is one of them. Made famous by Crash and Eddie in the Ice Age series, possums are of those animals that every child is familiar with. Possums are marsupials, the same family as Kangaroo, and are normally found in North America and Canada. They are small creatures that weigh a kilogram and a half at max. Let’s look into more about these fascinating creatures!

Fun facts about the possum

Possums are one of the few mammals there are that have virtually very little chance of contracting rabies, roughly eight times less than wild dogs. Furthermore, they are also immune to the venom that is produced by rattlesnakes. They have a full set of teeth, which is 50, which is what essentially serves as the first line of defence if they have to ward off predators. They also have displayed a superior form of memory compared to rats and mice in laboratory experiments and are experts at tracking food.

What disease do they carry?

As mentioned above, possums are the least likely animal to contract rabies which is a relief for a lot of people in suburban America. However, they do carry other bacterium and viruses that can be transmitted from one organic body to another. The most notable amongst them are Tuberculosis, relapsing fever, spotted fever and Chagas disease.

Nature of possum

Possums can be found in a plethora of different regions, from arid lands to moist and fields, provided that there is a body of water nearby. They are prone to take shelter either in abandoned burrows of other animals or under dense foliage. In urban settings, they might live in the attic or the garage. Possums are omnivores, which means that they live off of meat and vegetables and are fond of eating berries, nuts and fruits as well as snakes, birds, rats and other rodents. Generally not that violent of a creature, the possum is famous for ‘playing dead’ where it falls to its side, lets its tongue hang out, shuts its eyes while the heartbeat slows down massively. This is a nervous shock reaction which often leaves others confused, but the possum normally recovers shortly.

Will it attack other animals?

Given the aforementioned information, it can be easily inferred that if a possum is left to its own devices, it will not attack or be aggressive. However, if a possum is either threated or corner, it gets violent and starts baring its teeth and hissing. Since their urban settlement leads them to cross paths with house pets, they might attack if they feel threatened by them.

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