My blog about rabies prompted a comment from Joyce Peronne about the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).
Did you know that possums are resistant to rabies, though not immune?
On Throw Back Thursday, click the links to read more amazing facts about this underappreciated mammal.
- Possums have 50 teeth in their small mouths. We have 32.
- They eat ticks! A single opossum can eat 5,000 ticks in one season.
- Their ears and tails are prone to frostbite.
- They walked here from South America across the land bridge at Panama. Possums are still walking northward.
- Possum babies are the size of honeybees when they’re born. They crawl to their mother’s pouch to grow up.
Oh, the opossum!
(photo by Chuck Tague)
Thank you ! And president Benjamin Harrison had Two pet opossums, Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection! Love that you help to spread some possum sunshine !
Joyce …. so you’re just going to leave us hanging here? You’re not going to tell us why they had those names?
Kathy, here’s an explanation of the names. Oy! http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/benjamin-harrisons-mr-reciprocity-mr-protection/