You say Potato, I say Opossum

This past Saturday morning, Cindy came in and told me that something creepy was out on our back fence. I came to look, and sure enough, there was a big ol' possum out yonder (as we say here in Polk County). It was 9 in the morning, and as Cindy was very quick to point out, being nocturnal, it should not have been there.
Now, I have seen many a possum in my lifetime here in Florida, but I have never been able to get a good picture of one! But I grabbed the camera anyway and finally went outside to see if I could sneak up on it and get a picture. There was no need for a surprise attack, as I think this possum was not the sharpest tool in the shed. I pretty much went right up to it's face and it just stared at me like I was the disgusting rodent. Anyway, this experience got me thinking about how sometimes I hear these animals referred to as 'possums' and other times 'opossums'. Again, I turned to the internet to add to my Gee Whiz collection. So are they the same?? Oh no, my little friend, they are not! What I have in my backyard is an opossum. Straight up Possums are marsupials found in Australia and New Zealand. This here is a Possum:


However, just because it is spelled opossum, does not mean it is not pronounced "oh-possum" (as in "Oh, possum I have missed you!") It is pronounced "uh-possum", with the 'uh' barely noticable. In fact, that is why most people call opossums, possums- because over time the phonetic "uh" sound was subtle enough to be dropped altogher.

And what other amazing facts did I learn about opossums? I thought you would never ask!
1. Opossums have over 50 teeth- the most of any mammal, besides sharks.
2. They have soft, delicate hands and are terrible diggers.
3. They are partially or totally immune to the venom of rattlesnakes, pit vipers and cottonmouth snakes.
4. They are incredibly creepy looking in the daytime and have very low IQs. Hence their average lifespan of about 2 years.
5. The first Saturday of August has been designated as "Possum Day" in the Great State of Florida. (I am already working on my opossum float. I shall call it "Enchantment Under the Shed")
6. There is a Florida State Opossum Monument in Wausau, Florida that states the following: (and I am not making this up)

"Erected in grateful recognition of the role the
North American possum, a magnificient
survivor of the marsupial family pre-dating
the ages of the mastodon and the dinosaur
has played in furnishing both food and fur for
the early settlers and their successors. Their
presence here has provided a source of
nutritious and flavorful food in normal times
and has been important aid to human
survival in times of distress and critical need."

("Normal times".....I love it!)



Anyway, Sunflower (as Cindy named it) stayed out on our fence for at least the next 30 minutes we were home and possibly more after we left for a church activity. And at one point in all this excitement, I was on the patio with Rosa the bunny, who was keeping an eye out for Yoshi the cat, who was deciding what to think of the Sunflower the opossum. Awwh, it was like a redneck petting zoo in my own backyard.








The other popular search result that came up when Googling opossum was opossum removal. This was my most favorite picture I found on that subject:

And click here to see the story of how they found an opossum living in the engine of a car.

Anyway, now that I have done my research and learned all about these critters, I have the willies on a much larger scale than before. Once again, thank you, Internet. And goodbye Sunflower, until we meet again...(which I am sure we will, but probably when you are stealing Yoshi's Ocean whitefish medley one lonely Florida night).