- The ‘possum, as it is colloquially called, has a diet that’s among the most diverse of all mammals, with insects being the most important item. They are a great help to the ecosystem and are known to eat decaying fruit, snails, frogs, cockroaches, carrion, mice, snakes, and garbage, helping to control pests and sanitize their environment.

- Opossums are enormously helpful in controlling tick populations
by eating them, thus preventing the spread of lyme disease. Most are immune to rabies. While these cute critters with their white face, big eyes, pink nose, big fl oppy ears and hairless tails may appear unkempt, they are actually meticulous about selfcare, frequently grooming themselves. They clean their entire bodies, from head to tail, using their claws to comb their fur.

- Opossums have opposable thumbs, (halluces) on their big toes, similar to a human hand and thumb. Far from being dumb, numerous studies from learning and discrimination tests rank opossums well above dogs and more or less on a par with pigs in intelligence.

- Opossums can play dead, a natural defense mechanism called thanatosis that's usually effective against predators when other methods fail. When threatened, opossums may first try to bluff their way out of danger by hissing, growling, and baring their teeth. If that doesn't work, they may close their eyes, fall on their side, have a lolling tongue, and drool, a physiological response to extreme stress.

- At birth, baby opossums (joeys) are so small that 10 can fit in a teaspoon. After birth, they crawl into their mom’s pouch to nurse and grow in a warm, safe environment. They stay in the pouch until they are about four-months old. Afterward, they are usually found on their mother’s back.