Page 9 - Jupiter West - August '24

Jupiter West, Page 9
Northern Notes

Awesome Opossums! with the mother, sometimes riding on her back, for another Lyme disease. Opossums can consume thousands of ticks
six weeks. This earns her one of her nicknames, “nature’s each week, assisting to limit the spread of the disease. Their
By Katie Roundtree, minivan.” Once weaned and ready to forage on their own, immunity to Lyme disease and their role as opportunistic
Director of Finance and the mother will shake any scavengers that eat cockroaches, crickets, beetles, slugs,
Administration remaining offspring off her snails, snakes and many others, make them an invaluable
Northern Palm Beach back and move on to another part of the natural world.
County Improvement area, leaving the young to Another remarkable trait of opossums is their immunity
District continue on their own. to various toxins and venoms. They are resistant to
Virginia Opossums, Opossums, as omnivores, honeybee stings, scorpions, botulism toxin and even
the animal native to play a crucial role in the snake venom. In fact, they have partial or total immunity
North America and, more ecosystem. They consume to the venom of pit vipers like rattlesnakes, copperheads
specifically, Florida, is a plants, insects and small animals, and are known to and water moccasins. This unique immunity, known to
misunderstood and one of scavenge for food in trash cans, earning them the nickname scientists since the 1940s, is being studied for potential
nature’s more fascinating “nature’s garbage man.” Their scavenging habits make medical applications, such as the development of a low-
animals. It is the northernmost marsupial in the world and them excellent cleanup crews, helping to keep the cost rattlesnake antivenom.
North America’s only marsupial. A female opossum gives environment free of waste. They are nearly impervious to rabies because
birth to tiny, underdeveloped young opossums, who will One of the most significant roles of opossums in the their body temperature is
grow up in the mother’s pouch for 8 to 10 weeks. Once the ecosystem is their ability to control pests and diseases. Their too low to host the rabies
young emerge from the pouch, the offspring will remain unique superpower is the ability to eat ticks, which can spread virus. If you see an opossum
who’s hissing, drooling
or swaying, don’t panic
and assume they’re rabid!
Opossums use these bluff
behaviors and play dead
to outsmart potential
predators.
Contrary to popular belief, opossums aren’t staging a
dramatic play of their own demise. Instead, they enter a
state called “tonic immobility,” which is a physiological
response to extreme stress. An opossum playing dead
will typically lie on its side
with its eyes closed. Its
breathing will get shallow
and may even appear to
stop completely. While they
don’t spray like skunks,
opossums smell when they
play dead. Sometimes, the opossum will loll its tongue and
drool, even excreting waste to exaggerate its catatonic-like
state. These signs will usually convince a predator that the
opossum is dead, and it will lose interest.
It’s important to note that
the opossum and the possum
are not the same animal. In
North and South America,
the animal is referred to as an
opossum, while in Australia
and other countries, it is
called a possum. In North
America, an opossum is a
white and gray marsupial of
the order Didelphimorphia.
The word “opossum” was
derived from its equivalent in
Powhatan, a language spoken
by the Virginia Algonquian
tribe, and it means “white
dog or beast” in Powhatan.
On the other hand,
possums live in Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, New
Zealand and China. Their name does derive from opossum. Sir
Joseph Banks, a British botanist, thought they looked enough
like the American opossum
to give them a similar name.
However, kangaroos and
other Australian marsupials
are closer relations than
American opossums.
Possums belong to the
Diprotodontia order.
Although they may look
dangerous, opossums are
relatively docile and harmless creatures. They have some
fantastic superpowers that can help humans by limiting
the spread of diseases and cleaning up trash left by other
scavengers. Next time you see one, appreciate them for the
amazing and fascinating creatures that they are.
For more information on Florida wildlife and how you
can help, visit www.southfloridawildlifecenter.org.
South Florida Wildlife Center is a wildlife trauma care
hospital and rehabilitation facility. Its mission is to rescue,
rehabilitate, and release injured and orphaned animals,
educate the public about environmental issues and foster a
peaceful coexistence with wildlife in our local communities.
We provide educational programming to local schools,
community agencies and youth programs. We provide
wildlife rescue training for local municipality agencies,
including law enforcement and fire rescue.
NPDES Tip: Hurricane Season began June 1. Make sure
your yards and trees are trimmed to avoid flying debris during
a storm. Dispose of your trimmings and clippings properly.
Do not put them into storm drains or lakes!