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Possums
Not to be confused with the opossum that is found in North America and often called possum, the possum is native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi, and has been introduced in New Zealand and southern China. Nocturnal and omnivorous, they hide in their nests during the day and come out at night to forage for food. With 25 species of these medium-sized arboreal marsupials, there is plenty to do and learn in this category.
591 Questions
Are striped possums nocturnal?
Possums are nocturnal because that is when they can see and smell better. I also think that is when their predators are not out hunting. Possums usually rest or sleep in their habitat [trees] during the daytime.
Can a dog contract anything from a possum bite?
Dogs cannot contract rabies from possum bites for two reasons: the Virginia opossum (commonly called a possum) cannot harbour the rabies virus in its body, as its body temperature is too low. If you are referring to a common brushtailed possum, it cannot harbour rabies either for the simple reason that neither Australia nor New Zealand has rabies.
Ticks and fleas can be passed on through contact between possums and domestic pets. This is the biggest danger, along with the endless possibilities for infection from a possum bite. If your dog has been bitten and the bite broke the skin, take him to the vet for antibiotics now, or you could be up for expensive surgery to treat an abscess or similar complication (even tetanus).
Where does the mountain pygmy possum live?
A mountain pygmy possum is a small, nocturnal marsupial, about 45grams in weight, found in the alpine and sub-alpine regions of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia.
One of Australia's few hibernating marsupials, the Mountain Pygmy Possum feeds on invertebrates, such as the Bogong moth, as well as fruits, nuts, nectar and seeds.
What animal looks like a possum?
Possums, which are quite different to opossums, have several close relatives. All of the gliders (e.g. sugar glider, squirrel glider, mahogany gloder, etc) and pygmy possums are related, as is the cuscus.
Possums also belong to that broader group of mammals known as marsupials, most of which have pouches for raising their developing young. These animals include koalas, kangaroos, wombats, bilbies, etc.
How do possums defend themselves?
An animal that "plays possum" goes into a state of physiological suspension whereupon it appears to be quite dead. This is a defence mechanism to avoid being attacked by a predator.
(The term should actually be "playing opossum" as this behaviour is shown by North American opossums, not true possums of the Oceania region.)
Opossums also have very sharp teeth which can inflict severe bites on domestic animals. Sometimes, they will release a strong, musky scent which is repellant to other animals. Generally, however, they prefer to play dead or run away.
It has a pouch.
However, a pouch is not what makes a possum a marsupial. Not all marsupials have pouches, e.g. the numbat has a mere flap of skin, but in animals where the pouch is absent, the young are still born undeveloped, and they cling by instinct to the underside of their mother's belly, still firmly attached to teats which swell in their mouths.
Marsupials are mammals which usually have pouches in which they rear their young. However, of more importance is the fact that marsupial young are characterised by being extremely small and undeveloped at birth. At birth, they take a long, arduous journey from the birth canal, driven purely by instinct, grabbing hold of the mother marsupial's fur which she has cleaned and made easier to traverse with saliva, to reach the pouch. Upon reaching the pouch, they latch onto a teat which swells in their mouth to prevent them from being accidentally dislodged during the mother's movements. There they stay for months, to complete their development.
Possums also share other marsupialian characteristics. Female marsupials have two vaginas, or what are called paired lateral vaginae. These are for the purpose of transporting the sperm to the womb, but there is a midline pseudovaginal canal for actually giving birth. As well as two vaginas and two uteruses, female marsupials have two fallopian tubes and two cervixes. Most male marsupials, with the exception of the largest species, the Red Kangaroo, Eastern Grey and Western Grey Kangaroos, have a "bifurcated" or two-pronged penis to accommodate the females' two vaginas.
What types of vertebrate the sugar glider?
A sugar glider is a small, nocturnal marsupial of the possum family (not opossums) about 16cm-21cm in length, and native to Australia, as well as some islands of Indonesia and New Guinea.
Sugar gliders live about 12-15 years in captivity, and 1-6 years in the wild, due to predation by other animals. They have black-tipped tails, a black line down their back, (ending with an arrow on the head) and have 1-3 joeys at a time. They come in a variety of colors, including albino (very rare), cinnamon, red-brown and, most commonly, grey.
Like other gliders, sugar gliders are unique in that they have a membrane of skin - patagia-membrane - which stretches from the fifth "finger" of each hand to the first toe of each foot, which enables them to glide between treetops. They do not fly, but are capable of gliding up to 100m.
How often do possums produce a litter?
Sometimes up to 15 or more. But there are only 13 teets in the pouch and the mother usually ends up with approx 5-8.
How does a possum affect the ecosystem?
Possums are not the cause of environmental damage in Australia, but where they have been introduced in New Zealand, they cause major damage.
In New Zealand, possums are taking over native bushland, pushing out native species of birds, for which New Zealand is unique. Possums eat the birds' foods, nest in their trees, and are one of the greatest threats to native bird species. They have been recorded eating eggs and chicks from birds' nests.
Their feeding habits also disrupt the food supplies for native bats, lizards and even insects. They feed on the vegetation, reducing its availability for native species, and nest in the trees, forcing smaller species out. There are no natural predators of the possum in New Zealand, so their population has increased dramatically.
Possums strip the native plants of leaves, buds, flowers, fruits and seeds, meaning less chances of propagation. New Zealand trees do not have defensive chemicals of some Australian native trees, meaning the possums can continue to eat from one tree until the tree has been severely affected.
Many of these plant species are disappearing from the New Zealand forests, and allowing invasive non-native species to take hold of the forests.
Economically, possums are a disaster because they eat pastures and crops, resulting in loss of farmers' income. They also eat the young pines in pine plantations. The figure spent by government agencies on possum control in 2006 was $111 million.
What countries provide natural habitat for cuscus?
A cuscus is a little tree dwelling mamal that is usually brown furred with spots that is called a spotted cuscus. Ususally, you can't see their ears but they are cute anyway. They live in South American rain forests. There is another type of cuscus it is called an Albino cuscus. Additional Info: The Cuscus is a Pouched Mammal from the family of Phalangeridae. It is believed that the name Cuscus is from the New Guinea word for "animal". A Cuscus is a Lemur type bodied possum. They have a long prehensile tail, that is very strong and is naked over the distal half. Their ears are tiny and hard to find in all the thick, woolly, rust to gray fur.(many have white to cream splotches in their coat) Sometimes, they have been seen to appear all white. They have beady eyes, probably the better to see you with at night. Finally, they are about two feet long and weight between 10-15 pounds, depending on the individuals health. This is the largest of all the possums.
Possums live in tree hollows or roof cavities in suburban houses. They feed on nectar, tender leaves and shoots, fruits and some feed on insects. They are nocturnal creatures, and usually arboreal, meaning they spend most of their time in trees (except for those which live in roof cavities).
They are scavengers, and will eat almost anything, so yes...providing you die in the woods.
No. Possums, which are native to Australia and islands of the South Pacific, feed primarily on fruit and insects. They should not be confused with opossums of North America, which are very different creatures, and are scavengers.
What do possums do at night time?
Possums are nocturnal, so they engage in a great deal of activity at night. This is when they feed, have territorial disputes, and mate.
What does it mean when you see possum?
I think it means that you are eating your own words. Like someone proved you wrong.
What do possums eat in winter?
Possums are not the same as opossums. Possums live in Australia and nearby islands, so they are able to eat the same basic foods in winter as they do in summer, as food supplies remain plentiful.
Possums are essentially herbivorous and insectivorous, meaning they eat a variety of foods. Possums' feeding habits range from omnivores (the Common Brushtail possum) to specialist browsers of eucalyptus (Greater Glider), insectivores (Mountain Pygmy Possum) and nectar-feeders (Honey Possum).
In the wild, they eat young shoots, leaves, flowers, nectar and fruit of a variety of trees and shrubs. They also feed on insects.
Possums also enjoy a feed of bread and honey put out by helpful suburban homeowners. However, it is best not to feed possums as they may become dependent on people for their food supply.
Can you show me pictures of a possum?
Just look it up on Google Images bro.
Answers.com doesn't currently support inserting pictures in answers.
Possums do not make good pets.
Also, they are protected native animals in Australia, so it is illegal to keep one without a special carer's licence.
If the question relates to opossums, commonly termed "possums" in the US but which are actually unrelated to true possums, the following applies:
In the US, wild opossums are also protected under a number of state laws, and require permits to keep in a captive state. They are, however, also hunted as food in some locales, as they are in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Captive opossums require numerous inoculations by law, and will need special licenses when breeding for scientific research.
No. They usually eat fruit flies,waax worms,and mealworms. They will also eat vegetation around them too! Some lizards have been known to eat small mammals such as shrews, rats and mice!
Additional information:
In Australia, the goanna may eat young possums. Goannas have sharp claws and can climb straight up a tall gum tree to take young arboreal mammals which might have been separated from their mothers.
Possums do not generally eat tomatoes. They prefer sweeter fruits.
However some will eat tomatoes. In this rare video this opossum was filmed eating tomatoes from a vine in a garden.
Note that possums and opossums are completely different animals.
See: Related links on YouTube
Opossums generally do not attack humans, unless they feel threatened or bothered.
Is it legal to keep a possum in the UK?
Oh, dude, keeping a possum as a pet in the UK is a big no-no. It's actually illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. So, like, if you were planning on having a possum roommate, you might want to reconsider. Stick to more legal pets, like a goldfish or a hamster, ya know?
How long can possums play dead?
Possums do not play dead. Possum is the name given to a variety of marsupials found entirely in Australia, New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. The animal which "plays dead" is actually the opossum. In reality, the saying should be playing opossum.
An opossum can play dead for anything between several minutes and a couple of hours.
Are there possums in Georgia that have rabies?
Most possum species are found only in Australia (the possum is a completely different animal to the opossum) or neighbouring New Zealand, where it has been introduced. Australia does not have rabies, so therefore it is quite safe to say that Australian possums cannot have rabies, and therefore cannot transmit rabies to dogs.
Some people believe possums are the same as opossums. They are completely different species. But if the question is in regard to opossuma: whilst it is believed that any warm blooded mammal can get rabies, opossums' body temperatures are generally too low to harbour rabies. It would be extremely rare to see this, but there has been at least one documented case of a rabid opossum.
