{"id":3161,"date":"2024-12-22T15:11:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T20:11:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aachips.co\/?p=3161"},"modified":"2025-03-18T22:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T02:18:09","slug":"opossums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aachips.co\/blog\/opossums\/","title":{"rendered":"How Opossums Help Your Yard and Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Story by <\/span>Karuna Eberl. Originally posted on MSN<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

I grew up in a place that doesn’t have opossums. So when I finally saw one in my 30s, it was a real treat \u2014 a treat that kept on giving, as it turned out, because he started\u00a0living under my house.<\/a><\/p>\n

At first, the strange noises coming from below the floorboards at night were a little disconcerting, but we soon learned to live in harmony. I also learned how helpful my goofy-looking neighbor was to the garden.<\/p>\n

“They’re really neat animals, which\u00a0get a really bad rap<\/a>,” says David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the\u00a0National Wildlife Federation<\/a>. “A lot of it is based on their appearance and nothing more than that. So I’m always trying to sing the praises of opossums and get people to see them in a new light, like ugly is the new cute.”<\/p>\n

What Is An Opossum?<\/h3>\n

Virginia opossums are the only marsupial species in the U.S. “Their little babies live in the mother’s pouch until they get big enough, and then they ride on her back,” says Mizejewski. “It’s super cute if you’re lucky enough to spot that.”<\/p>\n

Opossums also have more teeth than any other North American mammal; back feet with an opposable digit; and a tail that can grab objects (known as a prehensile tail). Plus, they’re one of the few mammal species that don’t get rabies and distemper.<\/p>\n

Where Do Opossums Live?<\/h3>\n

Opossums live in much of the U.S. in woodland areas, marshes, farmlands, suburbs and cities. They don’t live where it’s overly cold or dry, like most of the Intermountain West. That’s probably because their fur-less tails and ears are prone to frostbite, which can be deadly.<\/p>\n

“Unlike most other wildlife species, opossums have learned not only to survive all of the massive environmental change that we humans have wrought, they have been able to take advantage of those changes and actually expand their range,” says Mizejewski.<\/p>\n

Opossum Benefits<\/h3>\n

In our yards, opossums:<\/p>\n

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