#ARE OPOSSUMS NOCTURNAL HOW TO#

In this miniseries, The Newtown Bee will consult animal experts to explain how to support these animals safely from afar and what to do if you encounter them face-to-face.

In a perfect world, animals would know the boundaries of what land is preserved for them and what is human-inhabited, but the reality is these creatures are just doing their best to survive. Springtime also means many animals are more visible as they are out and about gathering food for their growing families. Many, too, are calling agencies to report wild animals injured on the side of the road or accidentally poisoned. Residents are having close encounters so frequently that it is not uncommon for people to share photos of a bear investigating their bird feeder or a bobcat traveling across an unfenced yard. This can mean a variety of wildlife venturing into areas they never have before - backyards, hiking trails, and busy roads - when searching for refuge or nourishment. Mother opossums will still carry their babies in their pouches and on their backs for several weeks after weaning while they learn how to find food.As the landscape in Newtown and surrounding towns continues to change, wild animals are being impacted and trying to adapt to their new environment as best they can.

Opossums gestate for less than two weeks before being born.Male opossums will often use clicking sounds to attract females during mating season.Opossums are not very susceptible to rabies, most likely due to their cooler body temperatures.Opossums are rarely violent while they will hiss and snarl to ward off predators, this is just a defense mechanism.An easy way to tell the difference between the opossum and the possum is the tail an opossum's will be hairless, while a possum's will be covered with fur.Opossums have a lifespan of two to four years.Baby joeys who arrive at their mother's pouch will latch on to a nipple for up to 70 days as they continue to grow.Over half of newborn opossums will not survive moving from the ground to their mother's pouch.Baby opossums, called joeys, are only about the size of a honeybee when they are born.

#ARE OPOSSUMS NOCTURNAL FULL#

Joeys grow to full maturity about eight months after they're born.

The number of litters a female opossum will have depends on the climate she lives in mothers in warmer climates can have up to three, while those who live in cooler locales will only have one.

Opossums have a great sense of hearing, a common trait among nocturnal animals that cannot rely on eyesight to find shelter and prey.

Opossums communicate with each other through scent glands males emit a special odor in order to begin mating with females, and glands in a female's pouch help baby joeys find their way inside after birth.

Opossums can play dead for up to four hours to avoid capture or death at the hands of a predator.

An opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks a year.

Opossums are sometimes called 'Nature's Little Sanitation Engineers,' since they often eat dead things and, by doing so, rid their habitats of disease.

Opossums have a diverse palate when it comes to food they'll eat everything from insects to snakes to garbage.

#ARE OPOSSUMS NOCTURNAL FREE#

They keep urban areas free from ticks and other pests, which keeps communities cleaner and healthier.

While opossums may seem like vermin, they actually make great neighbors.

Good thing they're pretty harmless to humans!

If looks could kill, opossums would be some of the fiercest predators.

Are opossums nocturnal