Top 7 Amazing Opossum Facts!!

Top Animal Facts (Episode 2)

Opossum's are far more interesting than most people give them credit for. I have listed my Top 7 Opossum facts about these amazing creatures! Please Like, Share, and Subscribe if you would like to see more of these videos!!

*We apologize, but we do have in-correct information in the end of this video. Opossums and Possums belong to 2 separate orders.
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(The Opossum belongs to the Order - Didelphimorphia and is native to North America)
(The Possum belongs to the Order - Diprotodontia and is native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi)

*Range Map of The American Opossum does not accurately display their current expanded range.
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*Video and Music was created by Brandon Sanders with Sanders Wildlife, Inc

Buy a Sanders Wildlife T-shirt!

*For More Information About Opossum's Please Check The Links Below.
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[MississippiKitten]

There are a couple of untruths here... Until recently, scientific studies appeared to support the theory that possums were avid tick-lovers. However, in 2021 Drs. Cecilia Hennessy and Kaitlyn Hild published a study with the Division of Math and Sciences at Eureka College that turned these assumptions on their head. They called the study, “Are Virginia Opossums Really Ecological Traps for Ticks? Groundtruthing Laboratory Observations.”

This long-winded title leads readers to a surprising outcome: possums do not appear to eat ticks in the wild. In their search for the truth, Hennessy and Hild “comprehensively analyzed stomach contents of 32 Virginia opossums from central Illinois” but “did not locate any ticks or tick parts in the stomach contents of Virginia opossums.”

In an effort to confirm or refute their findings, they hunted down 23 studies dealing with the same subject matter. 19 of these studies dealt with the stomach and digestive tract contents of Virginia opossums and four of the studies analyzed their scat. None of them corroborated the myth that possums eat ticks, leading Hennessy and Hild to conclude that “ticks are not a preferred diet item for Virginia opossums.”

So where did people get the idea that possums eat ticks if scientific studies don’t appear to support it? It turns out, most of the credit goes to a 2009 study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal titled “Hosts as Ecological Traps for the Vector of Lyme Disease.”

The study compared six species known to attract ticks: white-footed mice, eastern chipmunks, grey squirrels, Virginia opossums, veeries, and catbirds. The researchers infested each animal with 100 larval ticks and monitored them to determine which species allowed ticks to feed and which species ate them. They found that opossums and squirrels appeared to eat the most ticks, between 83-96% of the ticks that researchers placed on their bodies.

How did the researchers come to this conclusion? They counted the number of ticks that dropped off the animals after feeding; ticks “not accounted for directly were assumed to have been consumed or destroyed during grooming.” In other words, the researchers assumed that the animals had eaten any ticks that didn’t drop to the trays beneath them.

Hennessy and Hild noted that the researchers in the 2009 study didn’t check the animals for ticks before releasing them back into the wild, meaning the ticks could still have been attached. Alternatively, they proposed that possums in captivity may behave differently than possums in the wild as they don’t have the same access to their usual diet. In the absence of their preferred meals and habits, they may resort to eating ticks off their bodies. Possums may also occasionally ingest ticks by accident while grooming themselves.

Additionally, opossums are *not* immune to rabies. They can carry and do transmit the disease although it's not common. As a marsupial, opossums have a lower body temperature than most other mammals, so their bodies don't provide a suitable environment for the virus.

[ChristoverMarxfortheWin]

I ran a wildlife "pest control" company in Southern California (non killing). When I taught homeowners how wonderful 'Possum's are, I didn't have to relocate very many. Once you get to know about the 'Possum, there is no way to have anything but positive feelings for them. They are my favorite land animal by far!!!

[jonfreeman]

Used to have one as a pet. Her name was Hedi, she ate pizza, watermelon. She was not picky.
She also stayed in the house with us.

[yanasitta]

I love these guys. I once pet one in a bush that I thought was a cat and it was totally chill and nudged at my hand like it was enjoying it. Probably more dangerous if it was a cat.

[txmoney]

I once feared these creepy looking animals. But as I grew older and wiser, I’ve come to not only respect them for their contribution but to also adore them. It’s shows like this that helped me turn a 180 on my opinion.of these wonderful creatures

[estherluttrell]

My darling little Boo showed up on top of my stove one morning and I fell in love immediately. I had no idea they are so beautiful as furry little babies. She followed me around like a puppy ... even going up the stairs to sleep on my dresser at night. She trained HERSELF to use the cat's litter box. And, she daintily pushed a plastic pitcher off the baker's rack in the kitchen to perch in its place. I realized it's because that put her eye level with me (I always talked to her while I puttered around the kitchen and she listened intently). They only have a two-three year lifespan. When they get to be teenagers their fur gets really unpretty, but they, personally, remain so sweet. Never, never thought I'd hear me say that! By the way, they don't "play" dead. They're very shy and when they're frightened, a chemical is released in their brain and they lose consciousness. They literally faint from fright. Be kind to possums, please!

[pam]

I’m here because I saw a small one hiding under my hostas in my flower garden a few minutes ago. 😃 I fed it some bread and an apple. My cats were on the banister watching. 😊

[forever.endeavor]

I love possums I don’t know why I just think they’re so cute. Thanks for posting definitely one of the most misunderstood”

[ratkinson]

As a long time licensed wildlife rehabilitator, I usually watch videos on opossums to point out incorrect information. This is the absolute best information I have seen on any site. Rabies and the horse cult with EPM are the usual points of misinformation. Really enjoyed your video.

[wandaswavely]

Years ago I thought they were ugly, but the more I see them on videos, I'm falling more in love with their adorable faces.

[carolharris]

We all need to have respect for these gentile creatures

[mrrapid]

I had no use for possums until found a one very small sitting among her dead siblings and mother. By the time I got her home my bias was in favor of the "evil creatures". She always used the area next to the cat box to do her business. Always a perfect housemate. and much more.

[jon]

This is a great video. I have an outdoor pet opposum we named Asmodeus😅. He was abou 6-8 months old when we found him with his head stuck in a chainlink fence. We saved him and took him in the house to make sure he was ok. He was fed and we noticd he had fleas so he was bathed with dawn dish detergent. We fed him again and released him. During his 2 day stay with us he was very calm and sweet. He still comes along almost every night and stares at the back door looking for food. We let him come in for snacks and when he's finished he gets pets before leaving. Hes a better house guest than my brother. ❤

[manycatsforadime]

Had a baby possum, rescued probably fell from the Mom. Bucky grew up in our house alongside the cats and turned into the sweetist most friendly pet we have had. Bucky lived 4 years and passed, very sad day for us.

[scotts]

I have to tell this story and get it off my chest. Quite a few years ago, there was an Opossum by the fence line, where we take our dogs out. I was on the opposite side of the fence. I had a broom handle and started jabbing it. I thought it would hurt my dogs. I didn't jab it hard and only made contact maybe 1 or 2 times. I was hoping it would run, but it didn't. It played dead and I left it alone. I went back outside a little while later and he was gone. To this day, I feel so guilty for what I did. This poor animal did nothing wrong. I've never told anyone about this, but it feels good to say something now. Then I started reading up on Opossums' and I felt even more guilty. I realized what gentle creatures they really are. Now when I see them in our yard, I ALWAYS leave them alone. In fact we even feed a couple of them, every once in a while. We won't allow them to become dependent on the food we give them, we just want to sort of help them I guess. Maybe it's my way of telling that little Opossum I'm sorry.

[westiewonder]

I live in a rural town and I’ve relocated over 14 opossums to my daughter’s ranch. I noticed each opossum has unique ear marking making them identifiable individual.

[johnnyragadoo]

Twice, when I was a kid, my Dad and I rescued injured possums and kept them for a little while as pets. They were gentle and neat, although it takes a trained eye to see how cute they are. The first one would ride on my shoulders and hang on to my hair with his hands.

They are wonderful creatures.Thank you for this video!

[godchild.]

I love them so much. We need to protect our animals from the haters in the world.

Beautiful animals

[johnbarton]

Everyone seems to hate these awesome little creatures, I was raised to well but that has changed now that I have had the chance to interact with them on my property. They are a vital part of our eco system and they are not mean and vicious despite what I was taught to believe. What a great educational video.

[dragunovbushcraft]

I had one as a "friend". I say that, because he was a sub-adult, when HE found ME, in my side yard. A few cans of Vienna Sausages, and two, slices of pizza later, he was sleeping on my feet, in my back yard. I named him "Art". My family and I, had more amusing moments together with Art, than we can count. He was absolutely THE most entertaining "pet" we've ever had. My daughters were pre-teens at the time, and their friends would come over to my house to play with "Art". He seemed to love everyone, and even got along well with my cats.

He would run in, and out of the house freely, just like my cats. He even had his own water bowl for when he was "in". Art had his own sleeping room in my back yard. I stacked bricks, filled with nice, comfy hay, and put a lid on the top of plywood. The entrance was just big enough for hin to get in to in the morning, where he slept until late evening, just to emerge to see what kind of adventure he could stir up.


Unfortunately, true to form, he hobbled off one night, and I assumed he passed somewhere in the bush. I tried to find him so he could be properly buried, but never found him.


He was a sub-adult, when we met in my back yard, and was as faithful of a companion, as a dog, and twice as entertaining. Best I could recollect, "Art" lived a long, well cared for, and happy life of around four and a half years. He was indeed, very old when he walked off into the sunset. I miss Art.


A few months after Art passed, I made friends with the neighborhood Skunk, but that's a hilarious story all to it's own. ;^)