Diet Ĭommon opossums have a broad ability to adapt to environmental changes, and their teeth allow them to eat many different types of food, which is obtained mostly on the ground. When they are in danger, they act dead, also called, 'playing opossum'. Ĭommon predators of the opossum are humans, house pets (ex: dogs and cats), and birds. The common opossum is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Gigantorhynchus lutzi. Opossums have not been observed to be territorial. Raiding trash cans, nesting in locations that are not suitable, and causing mayhem if encountered within a human living space, they are often trapped and killed. They are considered pests due to their somewhat raccoon-like behavior. Males are most active between 11 pm and 3 am at night. A male opossum's home range (distance traveled at night) can vary in size from wet to dry seasons while a female has a more stationary home range when she is breeding. Outside of mating, they are usually solitary. Their activity is mainly nocturnal and terrestrial, with some arboreal exploration and nesting. An adult can weigh more than three pounds. With a body length of nearly a foot, and a tail that can reach almost two feet, the common opossum is one of the larger members of its family. It has large ears that are usually black, and its face is usually a pale peach in color, with black whiskers and eyes that reflect reddish in light. The fur of the opossum is actually yellow in the under-fur, but is hidden by the longer black guard-hairs that cover it, while the tail, fingers, and face are lighter "with the tail being without fur, somewhat similar to a giant rat tail".
The common opossum is similar in size to a house cat. Skeleton, Natural History Museum of Genoa
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