With the extended hours of daylight in the summer and the full moon this week, wild animals have been busy. We took this photo earlier in the summer, but we see animals in our yard all the time. This Virginia opossum was out exploring and dashed into a the above hole when he saw us coming. Likely, a groundhog actually lives there. Opossums keep neighborhoods clear of cockroaches, ticks, and small rodents. They love eating ticks and help cut down on Lyme disease. They are even known to eat venomous snakes. Opossums are marsupials and carry their young in a pouch. Likely, those babies in your Greensboro yard were born earlier in the summer and are old enough to live on their own now. Please be kind to them. They won't bother you in any way. In an online search, we learned that the Virginia opossum has been in North Carolina since the Pleistocene Period- also known as the Ice Age and lasting from 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago. Wow!
Happy Thursday!
I love possums. They help keep our roads clean. Their teeth look ferocious, but they are actually gentle.There is a Possum Rescue Society in Guilford County. Watch out: they know how to use a cat/dog door and love kibble.
They do not carry rabies or other diseases harmful to humans (marsupials).
Posted by: Jim Carmichael | Sunday, August 06, 2023 at 04:05 PM
They are good to have around.
Posted by: William Kendall | Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 01:21 PM