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a visit
July 25, 2010
Drinking my coffee in the rainy coolness of the porch this morning, I sensed movement beneath my chair and looked down to see a streak of pale gray fur. At first I thought it was Cleo, since she’s slender and pale gray as well, but then I caught sight of her in my periphery, crouching at the top of the porch steps, glaring. And look over here at who was cowering under a chair in the corner of our porch!
An adolescent possum, still small enough to seem cute (everything is “cute” so long as it’s small, right?) but already on the verge of ugly with its long, ratty snout and dangerous claws and that horrible pink-skin wiry tail. I’ve seen baby possums, suckling-age, and they’re truly adorable, like mewling wobbling newborn puppies, their faces still flat and womb-crinkled. But that was in Georgia, and possum families aren’t all that common around here.
We never used to have possums in Ontario at all, not until around ten or fifteen years ago. The first ones came across the border from the States clinging to the bottoms of trucks. That sounds like a story you’d tell kids just to pull one over on them, but it’s true. I always used to imagine a great escape, a daring and adventurous young possum from a foreign land setting out from home, rucksack in hand, to make the dangerous trek to a new life in a new country. I’m sure the truth is more likely that they’re up under a truck for whatever reason and surprised there when the engine starts (like kittens who climb into engines for warmth in winter and wind up getting smooshed in fan belts), then cling to whatever they can for dear life until the truck stops moving and the terrified possum drops to the ground and bolts for safety, suddenly finding itself in Canada. Still, a storybook worthy journey, perhaps.
I gently shooed this little lady off while Claire held Cleo at bay (not that Cleo posed much danger; at 20 years old she knows her limits and might not even remember the hunter she once was). Here’s the wee wet thing, scuttling back out into the rain.
Posted by jodi on July 25, 2010 at 9.26am
Categories: crazy cat lady, things are happening
Comments on "a visit"
is this an o’possum? possums (the australian marsupial) are really cute, particularly the ring-tailed possums. they’re nocturnal and sometimes on an evening walk you’ll see one just sitting atop a fence post staring at you.
Posted by Amelia on July 25, 2010 at 12.17pm :: link
Yup, this is the Virginia Opossum, but people in the States just call them possums. They definitely get less cute as they mature. I once found a mother killed in the road (this while living in Georgia) and the babies were still attempting to nurse. It was heartbreaking (yes, I called the local wildlife authorities to rescue the babes, after borrowing a phone from a nearby resident who had already called the city garbage men to come and pick it up, as if live infants are trash!). The babes were cute as anything but the mother was ugly as nightmares.
Posted by Jodi on July 25, 2010 at 1.28pm :: link
Aww!
I wonder how long this guy has before the uglies set in. Adult possums are just Not Cute.
Posted by Kristen on July 25, 2010 at 1.30pm :: link
TEchnically, possums are Australian and opossums are American. They’re unrelated, but we always shorten the name to ‘possum here.
Posted by camilla on July 25, 2010 at 1.42pm :: link
Great photo of the possum under the bright red chair and the light on her is real nice. she looks cute! Interesting about possums recent migration to Ontario. I did not realize it was that recent that the came my my side of the river.
Posted by Joann on July 26, 2010 at 7.53am :: link
Do you leave cat food out on your porch? The opossums around here are big fans of cat food and will come up on porches to eat it. I got scared off my own porch once by a full-grown, ugly as sin one eating the cat food we’d left out for our cats. Stopped leaving it outside after that.
Though, that little one looks like she was just looking for a dry spot.
Posted by grace on July 26, 2010 at 12.44pm :: link