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The Common Opossum Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis virginianus): length—3 feet 3 inches, almost half of which is tail; weight—up to 14 pounds; distribution— lower Canada, through the eastern USA to Mexico; habitat—woodlands, near water; reproduction—an average of JO to 12 infants per litter; diet—any animal or vegetable matter; longevity—8 years. by Wayne Hogan The Common Opossum, better known, perhaps, as just plain oV possum, is a creature that's been much neglected in American literature. Mark Twain, of course, made the frog and blue jay household names. Put them on the map, as it were. And virtually every other form of insect, fowl, and vertebrate's been celebrated (some repeatedly) by one or another poet at one time or another . But you'll look long and mostly in vain hoping to come upon where somebody's written much of anything about the common possum. Well, I'll tell you right here and now, I aim to change that. 52 I've always thought right highly of the possum. Can't remember never not. Anything that's managed to survive virtually unchanged over millions of years, as the possum has, gets my vote. Not even the hardiest, most professionally and socially adroit character actor out in Hollywood can match the possum in pure staying power. So, yes, I greatly admire the possum for that. Being born blind, naked, and but four-tenths of an inch long and weighing a scant .13 grams, the possum's come a long way, baby. Being the nocturnal animal it is, the possum spends its days sleeping, mostly, in some hollow log or tree. Comes the night and it's out foraging for food and, well, getting its exercise. The exercise regimen the possum maintains—along with a diet that's generally low in salt, saturated fat, sugar, cholesterol, and calories—assures it of blood-pressure readings that're downright enviable. Not one possum has ever been known to die of stroke or heart attack. How many of us can say that? Still, the possum is not without its problems. For one thing, it gets around slow as the seven-year itch. This inevitably brings it within trouble's reach as regards larger, more predatorially inclined creatures such as, for example, the fox, not to mention your neighbor's dog. The possum, though, has an ingenious mannerism that at least partially protects it in its sometimes-too-leisurely gait. When threatened by another animal, or just frightened by something unfamiliar in its environment, the possum quickly falls onto its side and with radically slowed heartbeat, closed eyes, and tongue hanging out, pretends to be, for all practical purposes, dead. No amount of prodding can make it move until the threat has passed. The possum also has a problem with night vision (it doesn't venture out much during the day, you'll recall). When struck flush in the face with a set of onrushing headlights, the possum freezes in its tracks, blinded. Unless the car's driver has really good reflexes and brakes, this can be a very "iffy" moment for a possum. Hardly the time to play dead. Another unrelated and really rather minor flaw the possum has is bad breath. Worse, even, than a basset hound's. But I won't dwell on the matter further. Well, this about covers it for the possum . Oh, I almost forgot. The mating season for the possum is midwinter; grown female possums have a 13-day gestation period (the briefest in the entire animal kingdom), and baby possums stay in their mama's pouch for about the first two months, then ride around on her back for about two more. I close now with this little poem, my own meager effort to pay literary homage to the common possum. I call the poem "A Possum." A Possum A possum's not a lot of things ... a dogwood blossom, a gentle-falling rain in May, a subject poets say much about. Mostly, a possum's just a possum. 53 ...

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