whuzzup?

[the_siobhan]

This is an extremely fuzzy picture of the Opossum that was walking around in our backyard when I crawled out of bed this morning.



Blame my inability to find the right setting on the camera on the fact that I hadn't had any coffee yet.

I didn't even know opossums lived this far north.

There are better pictures here.

Comments

[digital-space.livejournal.com]

That's a mutant 'possum. Watch out or it will hurl poison barbed stingers at you from its mouth.

[redbird]

You're in Toronto, right? Definitely opossum country: I saw one there, late one night in the '80s or early '90s while visiting alanro, who lived in the city at the time. He pointed it out to me, as interesting but not terribly surprising.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I've never seen one before!

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

kewl!
I've never personally seen an opossum in the city. I did see
a badger once while walking to work one night.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Badger!Badger!Badger!Badger!Badger!

Animals can be surprising in how far they can extend out of their range. An ex of mine once saw a bald eagle in High Park.

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

this one wouldn't dance for me :(

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I think you're supposed to give it mushrooms.

Or something.

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

hmmm...good idea!

[the-fury.livejournal.com]

Mushroom!Mushroom!

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

Snaaaaaaaaaaaaake!

[bellafiga.livejournal.com]

Opossums look like rats with more purpose. I had no idea they lived here. I thought that was a distinctly southern thing. Heh!

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

So did I. I'm pretty sure I've seen dead ones when I've been driving down south, this is my first live one.

When the_axel, disastrid and caspervonb did our road trip to Vegas, some kind of wild pig ran in front of the car. It was the middle of the night and I was the only one who saw it!

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

Huh. So maybe that giant rat M and I saw a few days ago was actually an opossum.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

They have a similar tail.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I knew they did, because a friend of mine had a house infested with them back in the 80s.

[spikella.livejournal.com]

I love opossums :D
we used to rehab them at the Toronto Wildlife Center and they were my second favourites next to the raccoons

here's a little blurb on their site about them (http://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/pages/faq/faq.html#q5)

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

CUTE!! :D
I think they're nocturnal, aren't they?
Might be why you've never seen them...

I'm still trying to figure out what I saw riding my bike on the rec trail the other night. It looked like a beaver, but was smaller and didn't have the beaver tail. Any ideas?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Muskrat (http://www.all-creatures.org/aw/muskrat-001.html)?

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

Muskrat!
Yep, that's it.

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

I've seen them in the Rouge Valley before.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

When I lived in Guelph our backyard backed onto the Speed River. We had beaver, muskrats, swans, geese, ducks, and a hawk that used to hang around and eat the squirrels and pigeons.

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

you had your own little backyard zoo!

[tristam08.livejournal.com]

ever seen these?:

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Erm. Can't say that I have.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Muskrats are cool. You almost never see them away from water.

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

It was right by where the rec trail crosses over the Don on the west side, so lotsa plant life, and there was water near. He was just sitting there eating something, and totally didn't bat an eyelash as I rode past him.

Neat little critter for sure. :)

[siani-hedgehog.livejournal.com]

i saw one on the 401 once. i'm told they don't *normally* live that far north, but you so see a few.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

The page spikella linked to did mention that they're becoming more common up here due to the milder winters.

[razorjak.livejournal.com]

They're common as hell in my area. And aren't I technically farther north than you lot? (ie driving distance from the 45th parallel)

Then again, I live in an area that is a whole helluva lot more rural than I.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

The railroad tracks provide a corridor for all kinds of wildlife to travel through the city. Same with a lot of the waterways.

It's pretty common knowledge there are coyotes all over town.

[lilactime.livejournal.com]

I saw one on Queen Street one afternoon a few months ago. He probably wandered too far from home (ie. your back yard) and couldn't get back before it got light and the streets got too busy. He was hiding in a doorway next to Ground Level Cafe. Animal control came and picked him up, hopefully they re-deposited him in the brush along the train tracks, which is why you have him now.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I did some reading up after spotting him, and apparently they eat slugs. So he is welcome to come and hang out in my yard anytime, as we have more than enough of those to support a whole family of oppossums.