Virginia Opossum

• Isolated populations on predator-free islands have been found to age markedly more slowly than mainland ones.
• It eats fruit, insects, small vertebrates and carrion.
• It lives in woodland, farmland and towns across much of North America.
• fisiologíaIt is immune or highly resistant to the venom of many snakes, rattlesnakes included, thanks to a particular protein in its blood.
• defensaUnder extreme threat it can feign death involuntarily, entering a genuine catatonic state (thanatosis) that may last several hours.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marsupial mammal)

Habitat and environment

Woodland, farmland and towns across much of North America, from Costa Rica to southern Canada

Birth weight

Born extremely undeveloped after only 12-13 days of gestation, the size of a bee

Size at birth

Born extremely undeveloped

Sexual maturity

Female: ~6 months | Male: ~8 months (though they usually breed for the first time at 10 months)

Gestation / incubation

12-13 days (one of the shortest gestations among mammals)

Litter / clutch size

5 to 21 young per litter, limited by the number of teats available (9-14 depending on the source), with 1-3 litters a year

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 6.6-10 years

Sources consulted: Animalia.bio; Dimensions.com; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; NHPBS NatureWorks; Texas Tech NSRL Mammals of Texas; Virginia DWR; FaunaFocus; BioKIDS

Best time: All year round, at night; in North America it is common even in suburban areas, gardens and rubbish bins.

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.