I was out late the other night, when I heard a rustling in the bushes behind the garage. I froze, not sure what I’d see, and found myself 10 feet away from a large, gray, moonlit opossum. We had an intense staring contest that lasted about 2 seconds before it turned and disappeared. I know there is a good number of opossums living in my neighborhood, but I’ve only seen 3 or 4 ever. They are so secretive, so shy, that they leave almost no trace of existing, and when you do see them they scurry away in a heartbeat. It also doesn’t help that they are nocturnal, and seem to avoid not only daylight, but street- and lamp-light as well. I don’t know much about these little guys, but they’re awfully exciting to see!
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I enjoy opossums. Since people tend to think they are ‘big rats’, I go out of my way to defend them. They’re great scavengers- each creature has its place in the grand scheme of things.
I agree. I seemed always inclined to feel for anything (or anyone) everyone else rejects (pit bulls, rats, cockroaches). Possums definitely make the world better. 😉
That was a pretty cool encounter! My, I haven’t seen one in so many years. We don’t have them in this area.