OPOSSUM Didelphis virginiana

Marsupials made it into the western history books when a dead female opossum was brought to the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1500 by explorers. One person who kept a journal wrote that the King and Queen were very surprised at such an animal when they put their hands inside the pouch. People who live in Los Angeles are not so surprised at opossums today.

Opossums are Southern California's No. 1uninvited guest! City and county departments for animal control get more calls about opossums that any other animal. Many people who call think that they see a giant rat with no hair on its tale and a long pointed face.

Opossums prove that an animal doesn't have to be smart to survive in the city. The opossum is the dumbest animal in America (next is the Armadillo). The opossum is so dumb that even when it is a pet, it cannot even remember who its owner is. Opossums have not learned that cars are dangerous. For this reason, and because they walk very slowly, people see many dead opossums along the road.

If the opossum is so dumb and slow, how does it survive? It adapts well with people. It is a night creature, moving around when people are asleep. It sleeps in places people usually ignore: low bushes or shrubs, woodpiles, empty garages. The opossum is omnivorous. It will eat almost anything: fruit, bugs, bird eggs, and even lizards. Opossums are good climbers. They have tails that are prehensile (it can be used for hanging on). The back feet of the opossum have thumbs which help it grab onto and run along backyard fences. If the opossum has to protect itself, it has 50 sharp teeth to bite with or it can pretend to "curl-up and die." Pretending to be dead is called "playing possum."

Opossums have babies and many of the babies survive because predators seem to ignore them. Opossums also have babies all year around. Most animals have babies in certain times of the year, like spring. Opossums have 2 groups of babies or litters a year. Each group of babies, or litter, can have between 4 to 10 young opossums. When opossums are born, they are still embryonic. They are no bigger than a bumblebee. They crawl into their mother's pouch, hold onto a teat with their mouths, and stay that way for two or more months.

When these babies are big enough, you can be sure that people will complain about them getting into trouble. In Los Angeles, the Department of Animal Control will trap these opossums and fly them to the Angeles National Forest where they can live freely in the wild.