Wild Opossum Playing Dead

We found a wild opossum!! Not far from San Francisco! Apparently opossum's can faint for multiple minutes, so it's sometimes hard to know if they are playing dead or they have fainted! It's very rare for an Opossum to have contract, although it does happen! It's also very rare they bite, unless very very frightened! They do hiss a lot and retract their gums! Typically, they just poop themselves, play dead or faint! Curious creatures!Show more

The opossums, also known as possums, are marsupial mammals of the order Didelphimorphia /daɪˌdɛlfᵻˈmɔːrfiə/). The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 103 or more species in 19 genera. Opossums originated in South America, and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of the two continents. Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet, and reproductive habits make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions