Possum and possum: are they the same animal? How does a possum differ from an opossum: characteristics, description

Opossums are one of the oldest animals living on our Planet, although they have remained virtually unchanged in appearance for millions of years. Thanks to the efforts of animators, a fascinating cartoon called “Ice Age” was released on the screens. The heroes of this cartoon are two interesting possums who have various adventures ahead of them. This article talks about the life activity of this fluffy and sometimes funny animal, as well as its origin as a species.

How is a possum different from a possum?

A possum is a marsupial animal. This animal lives in Australia. Possums have also been spotted in New Guinea and the Malaysian Islands.
The possum lives in deep forests. He climbs trees and jumps on branches. This animal feeds on leaves, fruits, and flowers. The possum also likes to eat insects. Animals belong to different types of animals. Many of the species are protected.

possum

The opossum is a small animal. Its habitat is North America and South America. The opossum is a type of marsupial that lives not in Australia, but outside of this continent.
When Europeans began to explore Australia, they saw that possums had quite similar appearance features to the possums that lived in America.
Once upon a time, even Cook described a possum in his own diary, specifically omitting the “O”. Thus, he emphasized that the possum is different from the possum.

Opossum

Habitat

The habitat of opossums is very wide and begins in the southeastern part of Canada, then passes through almost all eastern states (from West Virginia to Alabama). Opossums are also quite widespread on the South American continent: Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia. Some species can be found on the Caribbean islands.

These animals prefer to live in forests, steppes and semi-deserts. Species are known that live at altitudes of up to 4 thousand meters above sea level.

What does a possum look like?

In appearance, the possum resembles an ordinary squirrel. The animal is very small in size:

The body length is a maximum of 21 cm.
The animal's tail is the same size as its body - a minimum of 16 cm and a maximum of 21 cm.
The weight of the possum is no more than 200 g.

The body of the possum is thin, but due to the flight membrane, a completely different impression can be created.

Large features

The body of the animal has dense, velvety fur. The tail is also quite fluffy. The animal's muzzle is sharp and short. The eyes and ears are large. The ears are quite mobile.

The color of the animal is:

The back is covered with ashen fur.
There are brown stripes on the face .
The possum's belly is sandy in color.

The animal has 5 toes on its paws . On the front paws, 2 toes point in one direction, 3 in the opposite direction. On the hind legs, only one toe is opposed to the other. We also note that on the hind legs 2 toes are fused at the center.

The main exocrine glands (with the help of which the animal marks its own territory) are located in the area of the forehead, chest, and anus.
The male has a bifurcated genital organ. A girl possum has a pouch , in which the female bears babies.

Description, appearance

The sugar glider is a relatively small marsupial . The marsupial flying squirrel is the tiniest relative of the opossum family. Its head and body are approximately 120-220 mm long, and its tail is about 150-180 mm. The weight of a mature animal reaches only 140 grams, with a body measuring 15-20 cm and a tail length of up to 19 cm. There is a dark stripe along the back from the back to the nose. There are similar stripes on the muzzle, in the direction from the eye to the ear. There is a small white mark on the tip of the tail. Like flying squirrels, sugar gliders have a membrane of skin that extends from the outside of the front leg to the ankle of the back leg, and can be opened by spreading the limbs wide. The female sugar glider has a significant difference in body structure - a small pouch in the skin fold to accommodate the baby.

This is interesting! The possum has large dark eyes, dark colored ears and a pink nose. During flight - gliding through the air, a "flap" of skin extending from the front legs to the hind legs gives the possum's small body a prostrate, square shape.

A flap extending from the fifth toe of the front paw to the first toe of the hind paw allows this small marsupial to glide between trees up to 50 meters away (usually in search of food or new nesting sites). Sugar gliders are sociable animals and can communicate using a wide variety of sounds.

These are various signals, such as an alarm that sounds like a small dog barking. The size of the territory of a possum group is about a hectare. When the sugar glider emerges from the tree, it spreads its four limbs, releasing a membrane that functions like a parachute. The animal can change the curvature of the membrane by moving its legs to regulate the process of gliding through the air, and also uses its tail as steering control.

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What does a possum look like?

The opossum is a small mammal. Belongs to the group of marsupials. The animal was first noticed a long time ago, when the Cretaceous period was still in existence. Since that time, the animal has remained virtually unchanged in appearance.
The size of the opossum varies greatly - from 7 cm to 50 cm. The size of the animal depends on the species. The weight of the animal can also vary, but not more than 7 kg.
The opossum's muzzle is pointed . At the base of the tail the body thickens. In this place, the animal stores fat until “hard” times.
There is practically no fur on the animal's tail. The body of the animal is covered with thick fur, but it is short. There are 5 fingers on the paws, each finger has sharp claws.

Appearance

Possum and possum: difference in character

The possum is considered a secretive animal ; it is active at night and sleeps in its own nest during the day.
It can build a nest in a hollow tree or on the grass. The animal covers its own house with leaves, dried grass, and branches. When night falls, the animal behaves actively - jumping through trees, covering long distances in just one night.

The possum is sociable and can make various sounds:

When the animal is excited and joyful, it chatters.
To attract attention, he “yaps.”
When frightened or angry, the possum makes a roaring noise.
When a possum greets its comrade, it hisses and sometimes dances.

In general, the possum has an easy-going disposition, so the animal is often kept at home. The animal is very playful and can quickly get used to people.

The opossum is a solitary animal. The animal finds a mate during the mating season. The opossum is active at night. During the day he hides in a hole or under the roots of trees. It can also hang on branches by catching its tail.
The opossum loves to sleep. This is a favorite thing for the animal. As a rule, an animal's sleep lasts up to 19 hours a day.
By nature, the opossum is timid and cautious. He tries to avoid people, so it is very difficult to catch the animal. The animal is also considered a real quiet one, since it does not make any sounds.

Shy

The opossum does not scream often, only in situations when it is in great pain. In general, the animal is calm in nature; aggression on the part of the opossum has not yet been observed.
The opossum is an experienced tree climber. He is ready to constantly hang from trees, even sleep upside down. But in nature there are species that move only on the ground. There are also opossums that love to swim. Animals get their food on the water.
One important feature of the opossum's behavior is its nomadic life . The animal constantly moves from one habitat to another. Therefore, he does not have his own territory.

Possum and possum: differences in living conditions

In the wild, the possum (also called the “sugar squirrel”) is found mainly in Australia, as well as on the islands adjacent to the continent. The animal spends most of its time on a eucalyptus tree. But sometimes the animal still falls to the ground.
The main feature of the possum is that the animal can adapt to any living conditions. In every place where there is enough food, the animal will want to live. He especially likes to live near the home plantation and garden. The main thing for the possum is that there is food and shady plants grow.
As a rule, the possum leads an active life only at night. The animal sleeps throughout the day, only occasionally waking up to eat. But when dusk comes, the possum wakes up, which means it goes for a walk. This pastime of the animal continues until the morning. After this, the animal goes back to sleep.
The possum lives mainly in groups. There are up to 7 males in one group. But there are up to 30 females. There is also an alpha male in the group. He can mark the territory, as well as each female. The strong smell, which is released due to the glands of the alpha male, scares away males of other groups.
Newborn possum babies remain to live with the rest of the group. When they grow up, they create their own flocks and begin to divide territories.
Possums do not defend their own territory. But, in order to get food, if it becomes insufficient, the entire group of animals begins to look for other places of residence.

Possum or opossum
Now let's talk about possums:

Today, opossums still live in the territory where they previously lived - this is the New World . Although to this day animals have also been seen in European countries. This was proven by paleontological excavations.
Opossums originally settled in North America and South America. But recently, scientists and zoologists began to notice that opossums began to greatly expand their own habitat. The animals began to gradually move north. They were already able to reach the eastern zone of Canada, also to the Antilles.
Opossums like to live in forests, steppes, and semi-desert areas. They also like to live on plains, small mountains whose height is no more than 4000 m.
There are many types of opossums. Each species chooses a separate habitat. Many people like to live where there is a body of water. Others prefer to live on water and land at the same time. They make their own houses in tree dens. But most opossums still prefer to live on tree branches or simply on the ground. There are also opossums that settle near people's houses.

Character, lifestyle

Sugar gliders are extremely active animals. They can glide through the air over long distances. Possums nest in groups of up to seven adult males and females related by family ties.

Their offspring are also in the group. Flocks of sugar gliding squirrels are considered mutually exclusive and territorial. Each group tenaciously and courageously protects a certain number of eucalyptus trees that provide their group with a staple food.

Adult males regularly mark their territory with saliva and secretions secreted from glands located in the pelvis, arms and legs . They also have scent glands located on the forehead, which males need to spread markings on other members of the group. Each "family" is usually dominated by one male, who is responsible for much of the territory and group marking.

He is usually larger and heavier than the rest of the group, as his body produces more testosterone. The alpha male is more likely to “have relationships” with the females of the group. As soon as a possum without a scent mark approaches the flock, the group views the guest as a stranger, after which the alpha male immediately and violently attacks him. Life-threatening fights usually do not occur within the groups themselves.

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Possums and possums: diet

The diet of the possum can be very varied. However, it must contain microelements, foods containing proteins, as well as carbohydrates. In summer and spring, when the animal feeds exclusively on protein foods, it begins to hunt:

Kuznechikov.
Worms and other small insects.

When autumn and winter arrive, the possum begins to feed on eucalyptus leaves, acacia greens . Do not forget that the possum is a big fan of sweet food. He really likes the juice of trees and sugar fruits. Therefore, people who decide to keep this animal at home may have a lot of expenses to buy food for the possum.

A young mother possum feeds her own babies until they are 2 months old. After this, the kids begin to get their own food.
In general, the diet of a possum depends on where exactly it lives. The Australian possum prefers to eat only fruits, herbs, and insect larvae. The diet of animals living closer to the north is more varied. These can be various herbs, fruits, insects.

Opossums are omnivorous animals. They love to feast on insects and various roots. They also love fruits and berries. Sometimes possums go out on a “big” hunt, but, as a rule, only large individuals do this.

They feed on leaves

Animals can hunt:

Rodents (mice, rabbits, rats).
Lizards.

In general, the opossum’s diet depends on its species, conditions and habitat. There are animals that live on water. They like to eat fish and frogs. They even sometimes hunt small water snakes.

When the time of famine comes, cases often occur when possums eat their own kind. These animals have an excellent appetite. However, it's not just him. Animals simply stock up on fat reserves in case “hard” times come.

Hunters

If the possum is kept at home, then it must be given frequently:

Fruits.
Vegetables.
Chicken meat.
Eggs.

Sometimes the animal can be given food that is intended for cats. But it is not recommended to abuse such nutrition.

Main features of gliders and possums

The possum is an affectionate, kind animal.
The animal makes different sounds. Sometimes these sounds resemble a dog barking or whistling.
It moves mainly at night and can see details well in the dark.
The possum sheds every six months. If an animal does not eat well and is constantly worried, its fur may fall out.
When an animal floats, it can cover a long distance. It changes the direction of its own course with the help of its paws and tail.
The female possum has a pouch on her belly. There are 4 nipples inside.
If the animal does not have enough food, it falls into a sleepy state. This can last up to one day.
In the wild, the possum lives in groups where there are more females.
The average lifespan of an animal is 6 years. At home, the animal can live a maximum of 13 years.

Cutie

Due to the special structure of the body, the opossum climbs trees well. But at the same time, he does not know how to cling to branches with his tail. Although there are other erroneous opinions.
The main advantage of the animal is that it has a stable immune system. Thanks to this feature, the animal can survive a snake bite.
An opossum is a mammal. But despite this, his life is short (on average 4 years).
A special character trait is timidity. The opossum does not like contact with people or pets. Sometimes, if the animal has no choice, it can kill a small pet, such as a dog or cat. When the animal attacks, it hisses and even screams.
The opossum is considered a non-aggressive animal. But sometimes he can still threaten a person. Since the opossum often lives near garbage heaps, it can be a carrier of dangerous diseases and parasites.
When the animal moves, it can reach speeds of up to 5 km/h.
The opossum loves to live alone; it only finds a partner during the mating season.
The animal has well-developed climbing .
The opossum has a good sense of smell. If necessary, he will quickly find food by touch.
The animal has 50 fairly sharp teeth. This is significantly more than many mammals.

Opossum
As you have noticed, the animals are very similar in appearance to each other. But they still differ in appearance, habitat and character traits.

Behavior

Most of all, people are afraid that the animal will start biting - this is an unreasonable fear. The flying squirrel is not at all aggressive, but if it nevertheless begins to bite its owner, then there are always reasons for this:

Shyness. This happens if the animal appeared in the house relatively recently and did not have time to adapt to the conditions. Or the owner disturbed a pregnant female, mother and cubs. In the first case, you should try to establish contact with the flying squirrel: sweeten it with a treat, while speaking in a calm and affectionate tone, try to caress it. In the second situation, it is better not to touch the animal at all. If the owner is afraid of being bitten, then you can wrap the hand with a rag or soft cloth.
The possum tastes the owner or shows him its location - it’s not difficult to deal with it: put food on your hand so that the animal switches to it.
The flying squirrel does not recognize the owner's scent or does not like the way it smells - the possum gets used to one distinct smell from a person, and when it changes, they stop recognizing the owner. It is recommended to stick to the same perfume and use the same soap. Another solution is to shower before interacting with the squirrel.

Another important aspect of behavior is receptivity to training. The flying squirrel can hardly be called a stupid animal, because it responds well to vocal intonation. A squirrel can easily be taught basic commands and come running when called.

The peculiarity of marsupial flying squirrels is barking at night. If this happens, then it's a matter of boredom. The squirrel calls its owner, especially if it is alone in the cage. It’s also about the mode of life - in the evening the mammal just begins to be active, and the person, most likely, is already preparing for bed. If possible, the animal should be petted and let out for a walk around the room. It wouldn’t hurt to buy him a friend and equip their home so that they have something to entertain themselves with.

Squirrels do not like cold conditions, so their activity decreases in rain or cold weather. They become lethargic and hibernate. This behavior in winter allows them to spend less energy when there are already problems with nutrition.