Facts or Falsehoods?

  My encounter with the possum the other day generated quite a bit of a buzz with a few folks.  First, they were concerned about my interacting with the critter.  "You are going to be attacked!"  My answer?  By what? What is going to attack me?  Some vicious animal?  Yeah, right! Possums are not vicious in any way, shape or form.  They may put up a big show if cornered but it is very rare to find someone who has been bitten by a possum.  They just prefer to avoid the effort unless you truly hurt them. I do not hurt them.  Even though a possum has fifty teeth, my chances of being "mauled by one" are slim to none.  So, I sort of believe that being attacked by a possum can be called a falsehood....or at least not a sure fact.

  Next I heard the claim that "Possums are dirty and carry disease!".  Again, this is a falsehood.  The fact of the matter is that possums are probably a lot cleaner than your average house cat or pet dog.  Anyone who has ever watched a possum will tell you that they bathe themselves like cats only a lot more.  Possums are meticulous about their cleanliness!  The same goes for their carrying and transmitting disease. My way of thinking is that you can just about get sick from being alive...it does not take a possum to bring you something.  Because their metabolism is so slow, most diseases fizzle out before even causing the possum to get ill.  The medical profession might ought to take a hint and study up on the possum's ability to ward off diseases.  It might be useful for humans as well.  Oh, and speaking of their cleanliness, a mama possum's nest is perhaps the neatest thing in the world!  She makes sure that all bedding in her burrow is neat and tidy.  Just as a side note...possums do not dig their own burrows because their paws are not made for digging.  They will inhabit abandoned burrows from other critters or will find a place under brush or trash piles.  We had one to live in our compost pile for quite some time!

  Last, but not least, was a remark that amused me.  It is NOT a fact that possums hang by their tail.  The sheer weight of the animal would make this impossible!  They do, however, have a fine prehensile tail that can indeed help them steady themselves once in a tree.  And a baby may be able to hang by its tail long enough to scramble to a safer place if it falls. That long, rat-like tail is a handy tool to help an otherwise clumsy, poor climber out in a pinch.

  One thing that is a fact is that all possums share a common trait with humans.  Possums have opposable thumbs.  This means that their thumbs can bend around to touch their other fingers making it easy for them to grasp things.  Strange enough...the possums' opposable thumbs are on their hind feet and are clawless!