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Project Noah Nature School
richosurus arnhemensis
This little one had a baby in her pouch but was so trusting that she'd come right down to us and feed.
Spotted on May 9, 2011
Submitted on May 10, 2011
6 Comments
Lol too funny (about the giant rat not the deaths obviously :S). Yeah I think the Aussie ones are cuter too!
The first time I saw an opossum, I thought it was a giant rat. :)
She's actually a bit cuter than her American cousins! :D
Emma, you've confused the Australian possums, with the American opossum. The former is actually named after the latter. Europeans first encountered the marsupial opossum in North America, and later in Australia, they recognized our 'possum' as a similar critter and gave it the same name. Being Australian, of course the name got shortened.
Our possums do end up as road kill though, mostly because they are blinded by the headlights and freeze up. we've rescued a few of their babies.
Unfortunately ,one of the survival tactics they use is "playing dead" They becoming easy targets for the incoming traffic because they play dead when they see a speeding vehicle. Sometimes a dead possum with 6 to 8 babies is found in its pouch. Lindsay museum of Wild Life takes in the orphaned babies.
may want to narrow it down to northern brushtailed possum