Okay, I get it, this is likely to be an uphill battle. But in the selfless interest of wildlife (and the somewhat selfish interest of promoting my new children’s book), I think it’s a battle I’ll take on, and I believe I’m not alone.
Possums.
From the crowning of Possum Queens at Possum Festivals to New Year’s Eve Possum Drops, and yes, even Possum Appreciation Days, North America’s only native marsupial has earned a place of special distinction in the South and beyond – oscillating somewhere between adoration and abomination. Listen, I get it. I have mixed emotions about the critters as well.
In fact, I had countless encounters with these strange creatures growing up, but two stand out in my mind as defining moments for my personal perception of these savvy scavengers. The first, and earliest, was late one night while playing in the woods. I lay a flashlight on the ground to crawl beneath the trunk of a fallen pine tree that was blocking the trail. As I lowered my head to scurry under, the flashlight beam reflected back from the glowing green eyes of well-fed, angry-looking possum just a few feet away from my face. It was petrifying. Its claws were raised in rage, and its mouth was gaping wide with dis-proportionally huge teeth gleaning in the light from within a menacing grin. I wasn’t quite sure who would roll over and play dead first, so I skedaddled as quickly as I could back down-trail.
But the second encounter, well that’s the one that hooked me on possums and absolves the species of all previous transgressions in my mind. I was wandering aimlessly through the woods one twilight (I now realize that nature, that elusive lady, only really reveals herself when you’re not looking) when I happened upon a baby possum, no more than six inches or so long, dangling by its tail from the low laying limb of an oak sapling. Go ahead, google pictures of “baby possum hanging by tail” and tell me that’s not cute. The foundation of my new children’s book Up Instead of Out, was unconsciously born that day.
Now, taking emotion out of the equation, let’s talk about a few reasons why you should appreciate possums as I have learned to.
- They may look scary, but they’re just misunderstood.
Too often possums get the blame for the mischief caused by those masked marauders, the raccoons. They aren’t typically as messy and in fact, do a great deal of cleaning up for us (roadkill included). And as a bonus, they might look scary when cornered, but they are one of the few mammals whose body temperature is low enough to avoid being highly susceptible to rabies.
- The possum’s menu makes for a better garden
Possums, the amazing creatures they are, take every opportunity to feast on some of our least favorite garden inhabitants, including:- Cockroaches
- Mice and Rats
- Snails
- Dead animals, even the bones (apparently they need high levels of calcium)
- Ticks (up to 5,000 of those lyme-infested free-loaders a year)
- And wait for it… even venomous snakes. Who knew?
So, together, we can build a broader appreciation for this misunderstood marsupial, and it all starts (well, sort of) with your purchase of Up Instead of Out, on sale now on Amazon.
L. R. McDonald