the.com/opossum
the only North American marsupial, immune to snake venom and faking death since the dinosaurs filed taxes
means A nocturnal North American marsupial that carries its young in a pouch and is famous for 'playing dead' when threatened.
from From Powhatan (a Virginia Algonquian language) 'apasum,' roughly meaning 'white animal' or 'white dog,' recorded by English colonists in the early 1600s. The same word gives us 'possum' when the unstressed first syllable wears away in casual speech — which is why the animal answers to both.
- venom proof
- Blood resists most North American snake venoms
- tick destroyer
- Eats up to 5,000 ticks per season
- playing dead
- Involuntary coma, not acting; can't fake it
- ancient lineage
- Survived 70 million years nearly unchanged
- low rabies
- Body temperature too low for the virus
virginia opossum — only marsupial native to north america, found from canada to central america
common brushtail possum — australian marsupial, introduced to new zealand in 1837, now millions there
sugar glider — small australian possum that glides up to 150 feet between trees