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Author
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Topic: I LOVE OPOSSUMS!
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Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 06, 2017 01:21 AM
  
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/06/opossums-unsung-heroes-in-the-fight-against-ticks-and-lyme-disease/
See link for cute picture! quote:
Opossums: Unsung Heroes in the Fight Against Ticks and Lyme Disease
Jane Kirchner
June 13, 2017
With the huge rise in deer tick populations and the spread of Lyme disease, many friends of wildlife are welcoming opossums into their yards. Why? Scientists have learned that opossums act like little vacuum cleaners when it comes to ticks – with a single opossum hoovering up and killing as many as 4,000 ticks per week.
Opossums are extraordinarily good groomers it turns out – we never would have thought that ahead of time – but they kill the vast majority – more than 95% percent of the ticks that try to feed on them. So these opossums are walking around the forest floor, hoovering up ticks right and left, killing over 90% of these things, and so they are really protecting our health. – Rick Ostfeld, Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies More Possum Benefits Opossums, sometimes referred to just as possums, are a benefit to ecosystems and a healthy environment beyond eradicating ticks. They will catch and eat cockroaches, rats and mice – in addition to consuming dead animals of all types (also known as carrion). Gardeners appreciate opossums’ appetite for snails, slugs and for cleaning up over-ripe fruit and berries. And, since they are immune to the venom of poisonous serpents, opossums also eat rattlesnakes.
Evening Shift Adult opossums are solitary and nocturnal—active at night—and generally live in burrows and cavities that they find ready-made rather than create themselves. They seek shelter underground, in trees or anywhere in between. When frightened or harmed, opossums suddenly freeze and lie still as death. They have no control over this response, which could be said to paralyze them with fear or have evolved because almost any predator can outrun them. If left unharmed, a catatonic opossum will recover in roughly one to four hours. This amazing species is North America’s only marsupial (pouched mammal). When the so-called Great American Interchange occurred with the closing of Central America around 3 million years ago, the opossum was pretty much the only marsupial from South America that successfully moved to and survived in the north. Here at the National Wildlife Federation we celebrate and appreciate the opossum!
I LOVE OPOSSUMS! <3 
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 07, 2017 08:09 AM
Wow, a tick Hoover!IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 08, 2017 01:27 PM
I see them crossing the street here.IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 08, 2017 05:41 PM
They really are tick "Hoovers"
and get this.....!!!!!!!!
The revolting Flying Chinese Stink bugs seems to be a thing they eat too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The stink bug invaded America a few years ago and destroyed a lot of apple orchard crops and then invaded people's houses and yards by the thousands!They make a stink when touched or smashed or vacuumed up that is so hard to get rid of you have to use dozens of bottles of odor neutralizer sprays and throw away pretty much anything they contaminate.
So far this year the opossums seem to be taking the stink bugs out. 
If I see opossums at night; I will feed them pancakes or saltines or peanut butter cheeses crackers. They like bananas and cat food but I avoid those because they draw ants and skunks and raccoons and rats.
Some articles claim that STINK BUGS do not bite; but oh man, they bite they definitely bite! 
http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 09, 2017 10:25 AM
Good facts!IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 10, 2017 01:24 AM
Thank you! IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 11, 2017 01:24 PM
I can imagine them eating cheese crackers!IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 12, 2017 08:35 AM
Do they hang upside down when they sleep?IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 13, 2017 12:01 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Randall:
Do they hang upside down when they sleep?
No.
That is a myth.
The babies have every so slightly prehensile tails but adults not.
Either way; nope, Opossums do not hang by their tails.
Quote from Wikipedia:
quote:
Adult opossums do not hang from trees by their tails, as sometimes depicted, though babies may dangle temporarily. Their semi-prehensile tails are not strong enough to support a mature adult's weight. Instead, the opossum uses its tail as a brace and a fifth limb when climbing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H9pvicOspY IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 13, 2017 12:47 PM
Opppossums eating!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv0AJWZr4h4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8XNtiVQsHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkofwx2liHM IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 14, 2017 02:24 PM
I thought it was true!IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 15, 2017 10:43 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Lexxigramer:
Opppossums eating! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv0AJWZr4h4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8XNtiVQsHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkofwx2liHM
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Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 17, 2017 12:34 AM
They can hang briefly; especially the tiny babies.IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 18, 2017 07:37 PM
Cuties!IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 18, 2017 10:54 PM
This video has them eating and being utterly adorable! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBsDFFtmiuE IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 18, 2017 10:58 PM
THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8XNtiVQsHk IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 19, 2017 08:23 PM
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Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 20, 2017 12:20 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H9pvicOspY IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 22, 2017 02:45 PM
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 23, 2017 11:36 AM
Saw a dead one in the street.  IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 23, 2017 06:27 PM
Unless it was definitely squashed;
opossums can appear dead
and smell dead;
for 4 hours or more!
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Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 24, 2017 02:39 PM
Ah! Maybe it was alive! I rode back by there, and there was no carcass! Definitely a dangerous game to play possum in the middle of the road, though!IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 25, 2017 07:18 PM
Yeah, not a hint left! Sneaky little rascal!IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 195143
From: I hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and a Legum Magister (LL.M.)!
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 26, 2017 07:58 AM
Wonder what spooked it?IP: Logged |
Lexxigramer
Moderator Posts: 9356
From: Here since March 24th.2005/..& Have been Lexagramming going on 2/3 of a century to date! LEXIGRAMMING.♥is my Passion!
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted August 26, 2017 06:49 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Randall:
Ah! Maybe it was alive! I rode back by there, and there was no carcass! Definitely a dangerous game to play possum in the middle of the road, though!
Yeppers! Could have been scared by anything.
Yeah; they do not play dead in the safest places.IP: Logged |
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