"A Sand County Almanac"

"THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT WILD THINGS AND SOME WHO CANNOT."
"FOR US IN THE MINORITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE GEESE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TELEVISION.".....Aldo Leopold




"LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE, AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER".....Albert Einstein


“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”.....John Muir


Sunday, February 3, 2013

Opossum In The Yard!

I recently spotted this Opossum in a neighbors yard.  This is a fairly rare occurrence since they are mainly nocturnal and not frequently seen during the day time...


Opossums are interesting creatures.  Being omnivores they will eat a wide variety of foods. Many are killed by automobiles each year when they cross roads, or search for road killed animals to eat.

 
 
As a youngster growing up in Appalachia I ate opossums, or "possums" as we called them, regularly.  They were usually caught by raccoon hunters who sold their pelts to fur buyers and kept the meat for dinner.
 

They are marsupials having a pouch in which the young develop and nurse until they are weaned. They are widely known for their tendency to "play possum" or pretend to be dead when threatened.  I did not approach this one closely enough for it to feel threatened, so instead of playing possum it just ambled off.


Thanks for visiting.  Stay well and come again soon.



4 comments:

  1. Hello Ste
    I have never seen that animal. Nice pictures.
    Greetings Bets

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Bets

    They are common here but rarely seen during the day. Relatively docile and cause few problems.

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  3. And, I'm terribly sorry if this is a repeat... When I sent my email address just now, I got a message saying "your comment will be visible after approval," which I DIDN'T remember seeing after sending this earlier comment... So maybe I didn't send it properly? Just in case, here's a repeat, and again, I apologize. Really I am not trying to spam you!! -John

    ------------------
    Hi Steve,
    I found these great possum images from a simple google search. I was looking for reference material for a sketch to accompany an essay my mom wrote recently. I'd love to make my sketch based on the second picture above. However, I can't find your copyright or licensing info. May I have permission to use your photo this way? My drawing will accompany my mother's essay in the monthly newsletter of her retirement community. I can ensure the sketch is credited something like "Drawing by John Van Pelt, based on a photo by Steve Ferendo. With permission." Or something of the sort.

    Please let me know. Thanks in advance. -John Van Pelt, Troy, Maine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John, I sent you a reply via e-mail. Thanks for asking to use the image.
      Steve

      Delete

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