Conscious_Bend_7308 t1_ix1zl2u wrote
Opossums are also native, the only native marsupial in the Americas!
catwhowalksbyhimself t1_ix23k3u wrote
They look a bit creepy with their white ghostly faces, but are really quite chill and harmless.
Dessamba_Redux t1_ix25916 wrote
Theyre very chill and cute. Theyre great at eating ticks and stuff like that too. Be kind to our derpy marsupial friends
mrdalo t1_ix27vy2 wrote
Turkeys are the true tick eating heroes
Kneph t1_ix2aruz wrote
We had Guinea Fowl that hung out with our turkeys. Those bastards were tick destroyers
SqrlyWrath t1_ix46hl5 wrote
In my experience turkeys tend to spread the ticks lol usually way more ticks in areas with turkeys
Stachemaster86 t1_ix2knw0 wrote
I knew they exist but damn, just outside of Minneapolis at my house saw one sneaking around. Can’t say I’ve seen a living one. Derpy does seem to be a fair term.
its_not_you_its_ye t1_ix3eqn3 wrote
sid_raj7 t1_ix3mg7s wrote
Read that as eating dicks..
Was about to go adopt one.
HoodooSquad t1_ix3ciwh wrote
Chill? Are we talking about the same animal? They angry!
Conscious_Bend_7308 t1_ix3eajy wrote
They will show their teeth if they feel threatened, but they won't attack. Look up animal bites with your state's health dept and you won't find any opossums. They are more likely to roll over and play dead -- "play possum"
zachzsg t1_ix3h86h wrote
They’re also bigger in person than they look in pictures
WikitomiC t1_ix288mp wrote
Marsupials probably originated in North America in the late Cretaceous or early Paleogene, and spread to South America, Antarctica and Australia while the supercontinent Gondwana was still united. Currently about 30% of the extant species of marsupials are native to the Americas.
The opossum on the other hand probably originated in what is now the Amazon rainforest, there are still several species of Didelphidae in South and Central America, but I think the best known is the North American Opossum.
Not_as_witty_as_u t1_ix2ghqb wrote
I actually really needed to know this, ty
Conscious_Bend_7308 t1_ix3dz3u wrote
I didn't know this, thanks!
DoofusMagnus t1_ix3m54o wrote
This is not true. There are the shrew opossums which despite the similar common name are a separate order from the "true" opossums, of which the Virginia opossum is only one example. And the monito del monte is another marsupial in the Americas which is even more distant from the opossums.
The fact you may be thinking of is that the Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to the United States (and bits of Canada). I feel like I've heard it phrased as "native to North America" before but even that isn't true because there are other opossum species in Central America and into Mexico as well.
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