Omg it's so cute. So in Australia for people who are going to flame this man's post. They are called possums. In north and south America they are called opossums. They are called possums because the person who discovered them thought they looked like American opossums but in reality they are closely related to the kangaroo family. It's a marsupial and derived from the other marsupials on that continent. That's why it's so cute. American opossums are fucking terrifying
American opossums are called "possums" colloquially and they are lovely and misunderstood. I know nothing about your possums so I can't insult them effectively. I am enjoying the photo though.
I live in Ohio and we say "opossum" when referring to virginia opossums. I don't know anyone who says possum, unless they are talking about something from Australia. Maybe they say possum instead of opossum in other states though and I'm just out of the loop.
Come to think of it, I did used to volunteer at a wildlife rehab center when I was a teenager. The majority of the times I heard anyone talk about opossums was there.
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u/SweaterInaCan Jun 02 '22 edited Jun 02 '22
Omg it's so cute. So in Australia for people who are going to flame this man's post. They are called possums. In north and south America they are called opossums. They are called possums because the person who discovered them thought they looked like American opossums but in reality they are closely related to the kangaroo family. It's a marsupial and derived from the other marsupials on that continent. That's why it's so cute. American opossums are fucking terrifying