PLENTY Spring 2020 Plenty Spring 2020-WEB | Page 34

Specialist for Montgomery Parks,
shares that, “Opossums play an
important role in the ecosystem.
They are omnivores, meaning their
diet consists of plants, berries,
rodents, insects and other small
animals. As predators, they help
keep prey numbers in check and
control pests. They also consume
carrion (dead animals), helping to
clean up the environment.”
Opossums also eat snakes
of all kinds, including venom-
ous ones! Because opossums are
impervious to rattlesnake venom,
researchers are working to find a
way to duplicate the very proper-
ties found within the opossum’s
immune system for human use
as anti-venom. Additionally, they
are virtually immune to rabies
because their normal body tem-
peratures are too low for rabies
to survive. So not only do they
control the deer tick population,
they mitigate the spread of other
potential vermin-related diseases
This remarkable image was captured
one evening by G regory Swann in his
Alabama backyard on a security
camera. He was lucky enough to be
outdoors to witness the opossum
gently grooming the deer for ticks.
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plenty I Spring sowing 2020
as well. They truly are beneficial
creatures to have around.
Historically opossums have
gotten a bum wrap. Feared
because of their perceived ugli-
ness, rat-like appearance and
nocturnal habits, humans have
been catching and killing these
marsupials since colonial times.
But we have since learned that
they are not a critter to be feared
or reviled. Nomadic and reclusive,
they do not seek out altercations
with humans. They are com-
pletely passive, falling into
an involuntary comatose
like stupor, complete
with drooling, gap-
ing mouth and foul
stench when con-
fronted by predators.
They pose no true
threat to humans. All
they require is a little
underbrush or hole to live in,
away from prying eyes.
And if you take a moment to
look past a startling first impres-
sion, you will find they are quite
cute. If you are lucky enough
to see one, look carefully, for
you might see they carry their
babies on their back! Of course,
like other marsupials, they start
their newborn babies off in their
pouches until they are large
enough to hold onto their mama’s
back. In fact if, sadly, you should
see an opossum who has been
injured or killed on the road,
it might still have babies in its
pouch that could potentially be
saved by a local wildlife specialist
(like the folks at Second Chance
Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg -
SCWC.org).
If you take anything away
from this article, it should be that
opossum are beneficial to hu-
mans, and need not be feared, but
rather seen as a blessing! They
won’t even try to steal your Gen-
eral Tso’s chicken, I promise.
For more information or
questions about opossums you
can call the toll-free Maryland
Wildlife Information line at (877)
463-6497.
Pamela Boe is a freelance writer, blog-
ger (Mamaboe.com), former paramedic,
avid cook, gardener, and outdoorswom-
an. She lives in the Ag Reserve with her
husband and two children.