📸 PhotoPhoto: Cody Pope · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum · キタオポッサム)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 It is famous for 'playing possum' (going opossum)—feigning death when threatened.
- 💡 In American cities, it is frequently encountered rummaging through trash cans and pet food.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Virginia Opossum is a marsupial living in North America that is commonly seen in cities and towns as well.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has short legs, a stocky body, and mostly gray fur. Its long prehensile tail is used for climbing trees.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It eats mammals, fruits, insects, earthworms, and birds as well as carrion, garbage, and pet food. Females give birth to 4–25 young after just 12–13 days of gestation, and the young stay attached inside the mother's pouch for 50–70 days.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2016) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40502/22176259
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1000023
- • iucnredlist.org — 22176259
- • wikidata.org — Q147267
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Opossum 2.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Didelphis virginiana
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Margot Michaud · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.