Are possums cannibalistic

Answer 1

Possums are not classed as "carnivorous". Generally, true possums, which are those found in Australia and on some islands of the Oceania region, prefer to eat fruit, nectar and young shoots, flowers and leaves.

Many species are insectivorous, and some do occasionally eat small reptiles.

There is one exception, and that is the Brushtail possum, which is not native to New Zealand but introduced from Australia. It has adapted quite differently to its environment. It has become a devastating pest in that country, feeding on native birds of New Zealand. It has been pictured multiple times feasting on eggs/chicks and birds.

This pest is also known to eat native New Zealand snails, and frogs. The impact on NZ wildlife has resulted in totally wiping out some species of native birds since their introduction from Australia to NZ (for the Fur Trade) in 1837.

Changes in the environment for the sugar glider (a small, gliding possum) have resulted in it sometimes being observed as a meat-eater, even though in its native state it feeds exclusively on insects, fruits, nectar and sap. These delicate little creatures are being kept as exotic pets overseas. The stress of being kept in small cages rather than free, and the imbalance in their diet from people who do not understand the needs of these creatures has resulted in them gaining a reputation for eating their young.

The Virginian opossum, which is commonly shortened to "possum" even though the two species are quite unrelated, is truly omnivorous, eating a great variety of meats and vegetation.

Answer 2

No. Possums eat vegetation, fruit, nectar and some varieties of possums eat insects. They cannot eat people, and will only ever bite in self-defence.

N.B. True possums, which are found in Australia and surrounding islands of Oceania, are quite different to the North American opossum, which tends to be more of a scavenger.

Answer 3

No, possums are herbivorous and insectivorous. They do not eat fish, but they do eat a variety of insects.

Strictly speaking, a possum is an omnivore, meaning it eats both plant and animal matter.

Possums commonly eat fruit (making them partly frugivorous), grains and seeds (granivorous), plant shoots and nectar. They have also been known to eat insects (meaning they are also insectivorous), small lizards, birds' eggs and sometimes even tiny chicks.

Possums' teeth are not the shape of a standard herbivore or carnivore, but have the specialised shape of an omnivore, which allow them to grasp, cut, slice and grind.

Answer 4

Opossums , marsupial species of the New World, may be omnivores, or mainly carnivores (especially in Patagonia), or fructivores, living on fruit, such as the woolly opossum or the black-shouldered opossum.

Possums (Australian marsupials more closely related to the kangaroo) also vary in their diets by species. Some are herbivores, others are omnivores, as with the brushtail possums who feed on leaves and rats.

Answer 5

Not necessarily. Most species of possums in Australia are omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. Possums are not the same as opossums.

Possums commonly eat fruit (making them partly frugivorous), grains and seeds (granivorous), plant shoots and nectar. They have also been known to eat insects (meaning they are also insectivorous), small lizards, birds' eggs and sometimes even tiny chicks. Brush-tailed possums in New Zealand, to which they have been introduced, have even been seen to eat whole birds.

Possums' teeth are not the shape of a standard herbivore or carnivore, but have the specialised shape of an omnivore, which allow them to grasp, cut, slice and grind.

Answer 6

No. Possums are not cannibalistic. They are omnivorous, but for the most part, the only proteins they eat come from insects and the occasional small reptile or amphibian.

Answer 7

True possums (not opossums which are quite different creatures) do not eat dead animals. They feed on plant parts, nectar, fruits and insects.

Answer 8

True possums - those native to Australia - do not eat meat, but some species do eat insects.

Possums are quite different animals to opossums, which have been known to eat meat.