No offense to all the guys named Fred out there, but to me he looked like a Fred. I don't even know if it was male or female, but I never saw any possums with babies in tow although they were more than likely out there.
While possums aren't the handsomest animal, they do provide a service because they eat carrion. They are often killed along highways because they go after roadkill. They also eat mice, worms, insects, birds, nuts, fruit, and, of course, cat food. They adapt very well to city living and are known to raid garbage cans. And they are the only marsupial that lives in North America. The babies are born the size of bumblebees and live in their momma's pouch (like kangaroos) until they're developed enough to ride on their momma's back and no longer need their mother's milk.
Source: newsfornatives.com
Possums have a short lifespan - only 2 to 4 years. They are nocturnal and spend a lot of time in the trees, living in holes in the trees or dens made by other animals. They have a prehensile tail used for clinging to branches, along with sharp front claws good for climbing. There are over 60 species of opossums and range in size from a mouse to a large cat. Of course, their claim to fame is 'playing possum' or playing dead if they are threatened and can't escape a predator.
I live next to a big park so I see possums on occasion here as well. I think the smaller younger ones are actually kind of cute, but the older bigger ones do look like overgrown rats. Since I feed the stray and feral cats here too, I make sure I leave a little extra for 'Fred'.
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