Possums

A mama possum showed up one morning inside the goat area. We're not sure how that happened (somehow crawled through the fencing) or why it might have (looking for a nesting place?). 

Sadly, by the time we found it the dogs had already taken care of it - the mama was dead. The little dependent babies were too tiny and only lasted awhile longer. We (Son) moved it outside the area so the dogs wouldn't play with it or eat it.

Possums aren't my favorite wild animal, but I certainly wouldn't seek to harm them. The dogs do what they are supposed to do: protect the goats. So they knew it wasn't supposed to be there, thought it posed a threat, and dealt with it.

The episode has given me a chance to research a little about possums. And yes, I know it's actually Opossum, but that just doesn't sound right somehow. We all know we call them possums anyway.

Possums are marsupials:

A mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly. Marsupials are found mainly in Australia and New Guinea (kangaroos and koalas), although three families, including the opossums, live in America. -- from online dictionary

And from another source:

The young must be born early in their development after a short gestation period. Marsupial young are basically embryos at birth. Once born, the young must climb with a swimming motion up the fur on the female’s adbomen and latch onto a teat. 

So this explained why it looked as if the dogs had ripped open the mama's stomach. It was actually the pouch. And there were about 10 babies that spilled outside, all about 2-3" long. 

Here are a few interesting facts from mnn.com, if you're interested:

1. Natural immunity. Opossums are mostly immune to rabies, and in fact, they are eight times less likely to carry rabies compared to wild dogs.
2. Poison control. Opossums have superpowers against snakes. They have partial or total immunity to the venom produced by rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and other pit vipers.
3. Omnivores galore. Their normal diet consists of carrion, rodents, insects, snails, slugs, birds, eggs, frogs, plants, fruits and grains. They also eat human food, table scraps, dog food and cat food. They have an unusually high need for calcium, which incites them to eat the skeletons of rodents and road kill they consume. They're the sanitation workers of the wild.
4. Smart critters. Although many people think opossums are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, there are several areas of intelligence in which they soar. For one, they have a remarkable ability to find food and to remember where it is. When tested for the ability to remember where food is, opossums scored better than rats, rabbits, cats, dogs … but not as well as humans. They also can find their way through a maze more quickly than rats and cats.
5. Pest control. Since their diet allows them to indulge on snails, slugs and beetles, they are a welcome addition to the garden. Opossums also keep rats and cockroaches at bay by competing with them for food. In fact, it’s common for opossums to kill cockroaches and rats if they find them in their territory.
6. All thumbs. The opossum has opposable "thumbs." The opossum's "thumbs" (called halux) are on its rear feet (so, technically they're toes), and abet the opossum’s formidable climbing skills. Primates and opossums are the only mammals with opposable first toes.
7. Impressive tails. They have prehensile tails which are adapted for grasping and wrapping around things like tree limbs. The opossum can hang from its tail for short periods of time, but the creature doesn’t sleep hanging from its tail, as some people think. Opossums have been observed carrying bundles of grasses and other materials by looping their tail around them; this conscious control leads many to consider the tail as a fifth appendage, like a hand.
8. Good pupils. The eyes of the opossum appear black, but what we are seeing are strongly dilated pupil; there is iris around them, it’s just mostly out of sight. The giant pupils are thought to be an adaptation to their nocturnal habits.
9. Smile! The mouth of an opossum holds an impressive 50 teeth.
10. Natural defenses. When threatened, opossums run, growl, belch, urinate and defecate. And when all else fails, they “play ‘possum" and act as if they are dead. It is an involuntary response (like fainting) rather than a conscious act. They roll over, become stiff, close their eyes (or stare off into space) and bare their teeth as saliva foams around the mouth and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from glands. The catatonic state can last for up to four hours, and has proven effective as a deterrent to predators looking for a hot meal.

I'm only including one photo because it was too sad.