Defending yourself in the animal kingdom is usually a matter of life or death. The fiercest of the fierce have their signature weapons; sharks have their double set of teeth, scorpions sting, and elephants throw rocks. What they have in common is that when threatened, they are proactive in their defense. One of the common defenses we learn about as children, playing possum, is not controlled by the animal at all, and the opossum isn’t playing. In response to fear, they go into an uncontrolled catatonic state.
They’ll drool, barely breathe, tongue comes out, empty their bowels, and release a nasty smelling, green mucus from the anal glands. It may even appear that rigor mortis is setting in and can last from 40 minutes to 4 hours. It must work because they have been around for over 55 million years. They didn’t have cars to deal with back then and catching a scare in the middle of the road can lead to an untimely death for them. If you do come across one in this state, it is best to keep away. They carry fleas, mites, lice, and ticks that continually look for new hosts, and the parasites can transmit dangerous pathogens.
Opossums are unusual-looking creatures, and despite their clumsy appearance, they can climb trees with the best of them. This is due to opposable thumbs on the back feet, strong claws, and a tail built for grasping things like tree branches. This may answer the question of how one ended up in your attic.
While they don’t give birth through their noses as myth would have it, they can have as many as 20 babies in a litter. The babies are about as big as honeybees when born and head right into the mother’s pouch. The mother has 13 teats, so only the first 13 that make it in survive.
From an evolutionary standpoint, opossums are a tropical critter but have adapted well, ranging into Canada. They are still waiting for their tails to catch up in the evolutionary process because they are hairless and susceptible to frostbite. If you come across one and can get past the 50 sharp teeth, the most of any animal in the United States, opossums may look like they just rolled out of bed and are a mess. However, they are extremely clean and use their claws to brush their fur for insects to snack on.
Even though they are docile creatures, they can attack when threatened and can do some damage with those pointed chompers. They are more of a threat to our pets but still pose a threat to us. Their bite can transmit some pretty serious diseases like leptospirosis, tularemia, spotted fever, tuberculosis, and many more. Due to their lower body temperature, opossums rarely have rabies.
They are social creatures, and if a family has moved into your home or property, it’s time for backup. At Wildlife Services, we specialize in nuisance wildlife removal for homes and commercial and agricultural properties.
Contact us today for an estimate and know you are getting the top-rated service in Northern Illinois.
