The opossum, or possum, is the only marsupial in North America. They grow to be roughly the size of a domestic house cat and have long snouts and prehensile tails. Possums have really hardy immune systems and are resistant to rabies. They are also partially immune to the venom of many snakes, such as pit vipers, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. They are nocturnal and, therefore, more active at night.
Possums are flexible and adapt easily to various habitats. They can be found in woods, open fields, swampy areas, and near streams. For shelter, they use tree cavities, brush piles, the dens of other animals, and even attics, sheds, and garages.
Possums are opportunistic omnivores but the ratio of plant to animals varied depending on the species. They eat frogs, rodents, birds, eggs, plants, fruit, and insects.
For possums in captivity, the animals can be kept stimulated by hiding their favorite foods inside logs or hollow gourds. An apple hung on a string will encourage the animal to bob for apples.
Like all marsupials, possums have a pouch, or a marsupium. After a fairly short gestation time, only about twelve to fourteen days, the offspring are born. The babies are extremely under-developed, though. They stay inside the pouch where they continue to develop and nurse from their mother. They are weaned and ready to leave the pouch between 70 and 125 days. The life span of a possum is between two and four years.