This geocache is part of our wildlife series identifying the wild animals of Potter County, PA. This series is located on Pennsylvania State Gamelands #204 located in Clara and Hebron Townships. All caches are located near roads or trails on the gamelands.
This cache is a regular-sized ammo can.
The opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is the only marsupial in North America. Marsupials are born before they are well developed, compared to other mammals, and continue their growth and development in a pouch on their mother’s abdomen. Most members of the order Marsupialia are native to Australia and South America. Structurally, they have changed little for millions of years. The opossum’s relatives date back to the Cretaceous Period, 90 million years ago. However, the opossum didn’t appear in North America until the Pleistocene Epoch, less than a million years ago.
“Opossum” is derived from the Algonquin Indian word apasum, meaning “white animal.” A creature without specialized body structure or food preference, the opossum thrives in many settings. It is found throughout Pennsylvania, where it is classified as a furbearer.
Mature opossums are 24 to 40 inches long, including a 10- to 12-inch tail. They weigh 4 to 12 pounds. Males are larger and heavier than females. The average adult is about the size of a large house cat.
An opossum has a long, pointed snout with 50 teeth — the most of any North American mammal. They have small, dark eyes and rounded, bare ears. The tapering tail is naked and scaly. Their feet have five toes, each with a claw, except the first toe of each hind foot, which is long and capable of grasping, like a thumb.
Their long, coarse body fur is light gray. Outer hairs may be tipped yellow-brown. Legs and feet are dark brown or black. Males and females are colored alike, although fur and skin color may vary in different geographic areas.
Opossums walk with an ungainly shuffle, averaging 0.7 miles per hour. Their running speed is a little more than 4 miles per hour. Excellent climbers, they ascend hand-over- hand, using their prehensile tails for gripping and balancing. They are good, but slow, swimmers.
An opossum’s brain is relatively small and of primitive structure. Senses of smell and touch are well-developed, but hearing is not especially keen and eyesight is weak.
When walking, an opossum sniffs the air and occasionally stops and stands on its hind feet to look around. Although normally silent, it may growl, hiss or click its teeth when annoyed.
If an opossum is threatened and cannot climb a tree or hide in rocks or brush, it may crouch and defend itself, or, if struck, may feign death.