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Why is Gracilinanus listed twice, once as an already existing genus, and once as a separate genus? john k 15:56, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
It's described now, as Cryptonanus. A PDF is available here. I'm going to write an article on nl:Cryptonanus. Ucucha| ... 19:15, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
The Proto-Algonquin spelling provided has two non-Latin characters in it. One is a theta (appears as ϑ in my browser, but as θ when I copy the text into an editor); the other looks like a question mark and I wonder if it's a character that doesn't appear in my computer's font, or simply a mistake that doesn't belong there. The Proto-Algonquin page linked to shows theta as one of a couple non-Latin characters used to transcribe the language, but otherwise it's not using anything exotic. The Proto-Algonquin page also offers no insight into the leading asterisk (*) in the spelling. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.166.103 ( talk) 18:08, 7 February 2015 (UTC)
I think this picture is horrible. Ucucha 18:08, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Opossums are ugly no matter how the picture is taken. Sandy June 02:08, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
THAT is a POV thank you 163.21.216.253 06:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
My dad and I found a dead one around 1975 near the source of the Humber River.
Bugger this. I'm going to speedy close this as just plain wrong. They're not even in the same order. Snottygobble 03:45, 8 June 2006 (UTC)
Aren't they even more commonly called possums than opossums in North America? It's sort of slang, but has become entrenched enough to appear in dictionaries. Maybe this should be mentioned here. And on the Possum page (which describes Oceanic marspials), it would probably be helpful to note that the word is also used to decribe American marsupials. Tenfour 15:46, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
Scientifically, opossum = North American, while possum = Australian. Dora Nichov 03:53, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
Opossum---A mammal that is flat that lives in the middle of the road
Merooster (
talk)
11:13, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
I came to this page to confirm or deny another page's claim that opossums live to be only 1-2 years old. Is estimated lifespan not encyclopediac? 66.57.225.77 20:25, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
I live in the US. I wanted to know what an 'opossum' was (technically speaking, I've seen more than one in my house!), came to this 'opossum' redirect....This is sooooo NOT what I was hoping to see. Redirect to 'Virginia Opossum' would seem much more appropriate, from an admittedly biased American perspective. Middlenamefrank 05:39, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
Right. Although there's only one species of opossum in North America, there are lots more in South America. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dora Nichov ( talk • contribs).
Thats only true if you do not consider Mexico part of North America. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.217.60.7 ( talk) 00:37, 8 May 2010 (UTC)
I would like to see some information on how opposums get along with outdoor pets. I have a large opposum sheltering under a deck where my cat also shelters. I have observed this opposum eating my cat's food when it is left outside. I am particularly interested to know if opposums pose any threat to cats. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.117.31.69 ( talk • contribs).
We rehabilitate opossums. I've released 14 and have two currently that are almost ready for release. We also have two cats. They generally ignore each other. Opossums are not aggressive animals. Vnarfhuhwef ( talk) 18:52, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
A young opossum hanging around my home is paticular fond of cruncy cheetos. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Reandrews ( talk • contribs) 17:52, 11 August 2010 (UTC)
I heard that opossums have their teets arranged in a circle with one in the middle. I haven't been able to find anything on teet arrangement. Can someone answer this question for me? I'm just curious. Thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.241.19.3 ( talk • contribs).
The following text:
is wrong, or at least irretrievably confused. The date of the letter is asserted to be 1565, but the Royal Society was established in 1666, more than a century later. This text was added by an anon in march 2007. I just added the links to the society and to Cowper, but then noticed that the dates don't match. Of the three possible "William Cowper"s that are FRS, the only surgeon, William Cowper (anatomist), was born in 1666 and died on 1709, and was a contemporary of Dr Edward Tyson. Furthermore, there was almost not english presence in Virginia before 1607. Can someone with access to JSTOR please check the source? - Arch dude ( talk
see [2] I will repair the article. - Arch dude
This article should be under the common not the scientific name. I propose moving it to "Opossum" rather than having Opossum redirect here as it does now.-- Doug.( talk • contribs) 11:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I cannot speak informedly on usage outside of the one species indigenous to America (the Virginia Opossum), but the name almost exclusively used is "opossum", for both common and scientific purposes (although, to my knowledge, no variant of "opossum" appears in any taxonomic nomenclature).
Alexis Brooke M 04:01, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
The Wikipedia article about opossums states that "...rabies is almost unknown in opossums." This statement may not be accurate or may not be accurate in all cases. The University of Florida IFAS Extension office reports "Opossums, like most other animals, are susceptible to infection by the rabies virus; however, very few rabid wild opossums have been documented." This information can be found here (look under the information section): http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW026
PLohr ( talk) 10:27, 21 February 2008 (UTC)
to the best of my knowledge (and the editors of wikipedia's Rabies entry, only mammals are vulnerable to the rabies virus. and it seems that opossums are indeed known to vulnerable, though showing some resistance to it with certain modes of transmission (i.e., intramuscular). - Metanoid ( talk, email) 06:34, 5 April 2008 (UTC)
Did anyone ever really address the rabies information presented here? We have a large population of opossums in California, with almost none of those tested being found positive. One in 800 is certainly an overstatement, at least in this area. [[[User:Stmelangell|Stmelangell]] ( talk) 23:22, 23 September 2012 (UTC)
While I respect the desire for documentation, it can get a little silly. Recipes in old books are pretty strong evidence of food use. Another: Best Yet Life and Lore of the Smokies By Bonnie Trentham Myers, 160, 178 et passim. One can also search "possums for food" and get lots. Same thing was at issue in the raccoonarticle. DavidOaks ( talk) 03:27, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
Added a note, with a memoir source, on possum pie, which I have actually tasted. It is every bit as revolting as you think. DavidOaks ( talk) 03:36, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
The opossum can not have "foodways" as described by the wikipedia article foodways because these are uniquely human. Possums can not have social, cultural, or economic activities. Pygmypony ( talk) 15:29, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
What about the spelling standard of possum. Being there is apparently a difference between Opossum and possum, but I had been tought that for a possum it was spelled with a leading apostrophe ( ' ) as in 'possum. Bdelisle ( talk) 03:35, 3 May 2009 (UTC)
This is incorrect^
This claim contradicts two other wikipedia pages. The Monito del Monte and the Shrew opossum are South American marsupials not in the order Didelphimorphia. The source for the disputed claim is a youtube video, whereas the contradicting pages refer to scholarly sources. Therefore I propose to delete the claim. Qemist ( talk) 21:31, 30 October 2009 (UTC)
Could someone explain how this marsupial ended up in the Americas when the other marsupials we know of are in Australia? Carlm0404 ( talk) 00:25, 4 January 2021 (UTC)
Some old page history that used to be at the title "opossum" can now be found at Talk:Opossum/Old history. Graham 87 16:00, 20 December 2009 (UTC)
Possums are not eaten in pies here. They are a protected species and not allowed to be hunted and eaten. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.101.211.188 ( talk) 02:50, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
The forms "possum" and "'possum" are common in North America. I added a mention of this, as I could find no discussion on why not to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mkehrt ( talk • contribs) 01:50, 9 July 2010 (UTC)
I can't speak factually other than my personal experiences and the comments from my vets. Hubby says we have the Holts Summit City Zoo because we have dogs, cats, horses, deer, possums, coons, kois, fish of all kinds, cardinals, eagles, hawks, and a green wing macaw which he hates.
Granted most of these are wild animals - hence the 'zoo', lol!
Now, back to topic. We have coons and possums who think they are pets. Come on the deck to get in the trash cans, but will tease the dogs through the french doors in the early am. If it was a cartoon, they would have their thumbs in the ears going 'nah, nah, nah!'.
The possums are not welcome. Because of the horses - their feces can be fatal to a horse. However, like I said, ours think they are pets. I let the cat out one night and went to call it back. Didn't turn the deck light on but saw the cat on the steps but she didn't come. Went out in the dark and sat on step and petted the cat. As I ran my hand down her tail, I said 'what happened to your tail'? Ok, I'm a ditz - I talk to animals, computers, myself - ok, don't put me away yet!
At that point he turned to look at me and we both took off running - opposite directions - it was the possum!
I do take exception to the not aggressive statement. They haven't been to me, but I have seen them tear other animals, including dogs, to pieces.
If I can attach a pic I will. Here goes.
Ok, inserting pics didn't work. Anyone have any suggestions on how to insert pics? THanks.
I'm not really liking the recent edits added to the behavior section. They are a copy/paste verbatim of the website used in the reference. I'm not assuming anything, but I will say it looks like the owner of the website may have contributed the edits. They are, of course, welcome to edit the article. And I'm also not saying that the behavior mentioned doesn't happen. I've personally rehabbed many opossums. But I would like to see those edits rewritten and a stronger reference found for them. Vnarfhuhwef ( talk) 01:48, 25 August 2010 (UTC)
I moved some material that was clearly about the Virginia Opossum, but how much of what remains is? The Reproduction, Diet, and Behavior sections look very suspicious. — JerryFriedman (Talk) 04:51, 24 October 2010 (UTC)
The "Hunting and foodways" section talks about Cuba and Dominica, but there are no marsupials mentioned at List of mammals of Cuba and List of mammals of Dominica. A search for references to opossums on Cuba didn't turn up anything plausible. I suspect the part about Cuba, if genuine, refers to hutias, as these rodents have been miscalled opossums [3] [4]. — JerryFriedman (Talk) 14:37, 24 October 2010 (UTC)
Since the scientific name redirects to this page, this page requires a taxobox. Craig Pemberton 18:37, 7 June 2011 (UTC)
I believe marsupial morphology indicates that an opossum would have a
cloaca, and the "anal" scent gland(s) (typically 2) would actually be "paracloacal glands" (close to, but not part of the
cloaca). "Anal gland" might be common name, but is not the correct name. This assumes that an opossum is anatomically similar to Petauridae in that area -- but that is not certain. ~E
74.60.29.141 (
talk)
05:13, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
A quick check didn't reveal anything specific to the opossum, but this relates to the Bushtail possum:
[5] ~E
74.60.29.141 (
talk)
05:25, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
I note that an IP has twice removed the request for a citation for this line of the article:
Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.
The claim being made is that the statement is so "obvious" that it should be exempt from needing to be demonstrated in reliable sources. Now, that might be fair enough if the statement were obvious (per the second paragarph of WP:NOR), but I don't see that it is. I'm not saying it's untrue, mind you, just that it's not so obvious as to be exempt from the need for a citation if it is challenged - as it has been. Specifically, I don't see that it's "obvious" that an opossum has an unspecialised biology (though it probably does), nor do I see that it's obvious it's reproductive strategy would make it adaptable to diverse conditions (how does it make it adaptable?), nor do I even see that it's obvious that opposums are, in fact, "successful colonisers and survivors in diverse... conditions" (relative to what?) The claim seems plausible enough not to be deleted as unsourced, but not so obvious that it doesn't need a citation. In fact, if it is that widely known, presumably a citation can't be hard to find? Anaxial ( talk) 00:34, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
Based on that "map", one would assume there is not a single chance of possums in Florida or the SE US. This is certainly not the case. These guys inhabit my garbage cans and routinely lock horns with my dogs.
I think that map is based on a certain variety of possum not found in the SE US. This should be expanded to encompass all varieties of this species, esp. in an article simply entitled "opossum".
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The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
The O in "opossum" is spelled but not pronounced. It is a silent letter, just like the H in the word "honest." The articles "a" and "an" are correctly based on the first pronounced letter, not simply the first letter.
So, you have the phrase "an honest man" not "a honest man," even though H is a consonant. Likewise, the phrase should be "a opossum" not "an opossum," again based on the first pronounced letter.
Therefore, I will go through the Article changing "an opossum" to "a opossum." The O in "opossum" is no different from the H in "honest." The Mysterious El Willstro ( talk) 02:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
The current first paragraph says twice that people often say "possum". I think it's needed only once. Would anyone like to fix this, or should I? — JerryFriedman (Talk) 13:22, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
I've only seen "O"possum used in very liberal N. American public school textbooks -- Probably something you'd see in New England, even though this creature exists only in Southern States (ie. -- virgins writing about sex). Are there any other (balanced) references to reinforce this nomenclature? This naming convention seems to be something designed to be purposely contrarian or obscure for the sake of being so. Nobody I know that inhabits the same space as this creature says "O"possum, but a Northerner (without access) will be lighting quick to correct them on their spelling/pronounciation?? Political correctness (or something else)? Agenda? American English does not have a silent "O". This seems to be something from British English (ie. "phOetus") -- but again, this creature does not inhabit the same space from where this seemingly nonsensical pronunciation is derived, which makes one question the motivation for the spelling of "Opossum". 24.51.222.35 ( talk) 11:57, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
I live in rural Missouri (we have lots of possums) and I had no idea anybody called them Opossums. If we have a scientific name, and a common name, shouldn’t the common name be what real people actually call the creature? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.35.46.38 ( talk) 21:50, 18 October 2017 (UTC)
Google Ngram suggests possum is the more commonly used form of this word. [1] 73.54.161.248 ( talk) 19:06, 14 December 2018 (UTC)
References
Throwing in my two cents...In the West, too, they are exclusively called 'possums.' The only place one EVER hears or sees 'opposum' is in grade school science textbooks, and the teacher may make some one-liner comment about 'opossum' being the official name for possums. Now, I have no idea what they say in Nee England, but re: the OP's remarks, it is nothing to do with liberalism. it is annoying, though, that an official name declared some 400 yards ago should be etched in stone for all eternity - and which had not been the commonly used term in, maybe, 390 years? Firejuggler86 ( talk) 03:44, 23 October 2020 (UTC)
The entire article is shaping up nicely with excellent documentation and citations. But the "Behavior" section is lacking in that area. I would prefer to leave the material currently there, but if anyone can provide proper documentation and sourcing, that would really help shore this up. Thank you. Looking excellent. PAGauden ( talk) 18:08, 7 July 2014 (UTC)
I'd rather leave this to someone with an existing login and some "cred" on this page...
Two, unnamed, tribe-level subgroups of subfamily "Didelphinae" (according to the classification for the genera therein) are presently indented beneath species "Chironectes minimus"
Yes, it's obviously a simple editing goof--just a bit nettlesome to see.
However, dealing with something like this--however trivial--beats arguing about colloquial pronunciations in a context of scholarship!
173.226.163.42 ( talk) 08:27, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
I noticed that this article's list of genera is missing the Alphadon, which states that it belongs to the oppossums. Anyone know enough to add this in? -- Somarinoa ( talk) 01:32, 15 January 2015 (UTC)
The "Biochemistry" sub-section is very small, this information could possibly be combined with the information about their survival and self-defense mechanisms.
The "Hunting and foodways" section is a little choppy and not as easy to read as the rest of the article, I recommend a reordering/grouping of the information in this section to give it a better flow.
There is also little information on habitat, and more citations are needed (or need to be updated). Brittabarre ( talk) 02:24, 3 April 2017 (UTC)
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Either the lead image on this page or the one on the Virginia opossum page should probably be changed so they don't both use the exact same image. It's a featured image so I don't know if it'd go better on this broader page or the page for the exact species it's about (though this page seems way too focused on the Virginia opossum as it is). -- Jessietail ( talk) 22:17, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
If you want to know what diseases affect opossums and do a Google search what you get is a list of what diseases they carry, which is not the same thing. It would be nice if experts could add a section describing these and the symptoms that might be observed in opossums. Ealtram ( talk) 23:38, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
Under the 'Reproduction and life cycle' section it states they can give birth to "very large numbers" of young, and 13 is the max number that can feed from the mother. I think it could be helpful to include more information about the maximum litter size (so it's made aware how many may pass away due to the mother not having space) as well as including the average litter size. HeyImAl ( talk) 18:49, 5 February 2020 (UTC)
The hallux in the hind feet of the opossum is opposable.— Preceding unsigned comment added by SaltySemanticSchmuck ( talk • contribs)
Do not use word possum for nickname on someone I care about. She is family. 174.29.93.157 ( talk) 10:50, 25 February 2022 (UTC)
Tagging @ Jameel the Saluki and @ PresN
I do not know why in the species listing, Philander nigratus - Black four-eyed opossum redirects to Philander andersoni - Anderson's four-eyed opossum. The IUCN apparently recognized only 7 species (instead of 10 by the MDD or 13 in the wiki genus page Philander). P. nigratus is not recognized by the IUCN (yet). The MDD recognize P. nigratus using the common name "Black four-eyed opossum" and using Anderson's four-eyed opossum for P. andersoni. The MDD do mention, however, in their taxonomy notes, that Philander nigratus is a split from P. andersoni. However, if wikipedia used the common name Black four-eyed opossum for this species, i think it should not redirect to P. andersoni ?
What's your thoughts on this ? Or perhaps, the page P. nigratus if done, should have just like some other unclear taxa (for example Dingo) multiple latin names positions, i.e Philander nigratus or Philander andersoni nigratus
P-S : P. quica is the genus page of Philander and not in this page. Gimly24 ( talk) 13:42, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
The article itself notes that opossums have been extending their range northwards. This is certainly true in Southern Ontario. I have seen some in Bolton, northwest of Toronto. The map should really be updated. Kelisi ( talk) 07:37, 8 March 2023 (UTC)
Am I missing something or is there no mention of their rough lifespan in the article? 109.241.61.214 ( talk) 03:55, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
Under the classification section there are 16 different species that are no longer recognized as valid, and 14 of those have their own separate pages. Just wondering what we should do about them? Most of them have been reclassified as synonyms of other species that are valid, and idk what to do about their pages. For now I marked the invalid ones and listed the species they are synonyms for, but it would be better to clean it up. DirtWhiskey ( talk) 07:22, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
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In the etymology section, it states:
Siebert reconstructs the word phonemically as /a·passem/.
Who is “Siebert” here? The name doesn’t seem to be referenced before this sentence.
The citation for the sentence is “Crawford, James Mack; Crawford, James D. (1975). Studies in Southeastern Indian Languages. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-0334-5.” However, the editor there is “Crawford”, not “Siebert.” It’s possible that “Siebert” is the author of the relevant passage, but the name doesn’t appear in the small linked excerpt on Google Books. I don’t have the cited book, and there’s no ebook available, so I can’t check it for more detail.
Does anybody have a good justification for the name “Siebwet”, or a better phrasing for that sentence without the name? Magicmat ( talk) 11:35, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
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Why is Gracilinanus listed twice, once as an already existing genus, and once as a separate genus? john k 15:56, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
It's described now, as Cryptonanus. A PDF is available here. I'm going to write an article on nl:Cryptonanus. Ucucha| ... 19:15, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
The Proto-Algonquin spelling provided has two non-Latin characters in it. One is a theta (appears as ϑ in my browser, but as θ when I copy the text into an editor); the other looks like a question mark and I wonder if it's a character that doesn't appear in my computer's font, or simply a mistake that doesn't belong there. The Proto-Algonquin page linked to shows theta as one of a couple non-Latin characters used to transcribe the language, but otherwise it's not using anything exotic. The Proto-Algonquin page also offers no insight into the leading asterisk (*) in the spelling. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.166.103 ( talk) 18:08, 7 February 2015 (UTC)
I think this picture is horrible. Ucucha 18:08, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Opossums are ugly no matter how the picture is taken. Sandy June 02:08, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
THAT is a POV thank you 163.21.216.253 06:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
My dad and I found a dead one around 1975 near the source of the Humber River.
Bugger this. I'm going to speedy close this as just plain wrong. They're not even in the same order. Snottygobble 03:45, 8 June 2006 (UTC)
Aren't they even more commonly called possums than opossums in North America? It's sort of slang, but has become entrenched enough to appear in dictionaries. Maybe this should be mentioned here. And on the Possum page (which describes Oceanic marspials), it would probably be helpful to note that the word is also used to decribe American marsupials. Tenfour 15:46, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
Scientifically, opossum = North American, while possum = Australian. Dora Nichov 03:53, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
Opossum---A mammal that is flat that lives in the middle of the road
Merooster (
talk)
11:13, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
I came to this page to confirm or deny another page's claim that opossums live to be only 1-2 years old. Is estimated lifespan not encyclopediac? 66.57.225.77 20:25, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
I live in the US. I wanted to know what an 'opossum' was (technically speaking, I've seen more than one in my house!), came to this 'opossum' redirect....This is sooooo NOT what I was hoping to see. Redirect to 'Virginia Opossum' would seem much more appropriate, from an admittedly biased American perspective. Middlenamefrank 05:39, 14 April 2007 (UTC)
Right. Although there's only one species of opossum in North America, there are lots more in South America. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dora Nichov ( talk • contribs).
Thats only true if you do not consider Mexico part of North America. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.217.60.7 ( talk) 00:37, 8 May 2010 (UTC)
I would like to see some information on how opposums get along with outdoor pets. I have a large opposum sheltering under a deck where my cat also shelters. I have observed this opposum eating my cat's food when it is left outside. I am particularly interested to know if opposums pose any threat to cats. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.117.31.69 ( talk • contribs).
We rehabilitate opossums. I've released 14 and have two currently that are almost ready for release. We also have two cats. They generally ignore each other. Opossums are not aggressive animals. Vnarfhuhwef ( talk) 18:52, 15 June 2009 (UTC)
A young opossum hanging around my home is paticular fond of cruncy cheetos. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Reandrews ( talk • contribs) 17:52, 11 August 2010 (UTC)
I heard that opossums have their teets arranged in a circle with one in the middle. I haven't been able to find anything on teet arrangement. Can someone answer this question for me? I'm just curious. Thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.241.19.3 ( talk • contribs).
The following text:
is wrong, or at least irretrievably confused. The date of the letter is asserted to be 1565, but the Royal Society was established in 1666, more than a century later. This text was added by an anon in march 2007. I just added the links to the society and to Cowper, but then noticed that the dates don't match. Of the three possible "William Cowper"s that are FRS, the only surgeon, William Cowper (anatomist), was born in 1666 and died on 1709, and was a contemporary of Dr Edward Tyson. Furthermore, there was almost not english presence in Virginia before 1607. Can someone with access to JSTOR please check the source? - Arch dude ( talk
see [2] I will repair the article. - Arch dude
This article should be under the common not the scientific name. I propose moving it to "Opossum" rather than having Opossum redirect here as it does now.-- Doug.( talk • contribs) 11:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I cannot speak informedly on usage outside of the one species indigenous to America (the Virginia Opossum), but the name almost exclusively used is "opossum", for both common and scientific purposes (although, to my knowledge, no variant of "opossum" appears in any taxonomic nomenclature).
Alexis Brooke M 04:01, 9 November 2007 (UTC)
The Wikipedia article about opossums states that "...rabies is almost unknown in opossums." This statement may not be accurate or may not be accurate in all cases. The University of Florida IFAS Extension office reports "Opossums, like most other animals, are susceptible to infection by the rabies virus; however, very few rabid wild opossums have been documented." This information can be found here (look under the information section): http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW026
PLohr ( talk) 10:27, 21 February 2008 (UTC)
to the best of my knowledge (and the editors of wikipedia's Rabies entry, only mammals are vulnerable to the rabies virus. and it seems that opossums are indeed known to vulnerable, though showing some resistance to it with certain modes of transmission (i.e., intramuscular). - Metanoid ( talk, email) 06:34, 5 April 2008 (UTC)
Did anyone ever really address the rabies information presented here? We have a large population of opossums in California, with almost none of those tested being found positive. One in 800 is certainly an overstatement, at least in this area. [[[User:Stmelangell|Stmelangell]] ( talk) 23:22, 23 September 2012 (UTC)
While I respect the desire for documentation, it can get a little silly. Recipes in old books are pretty strong evidence of food use. Another: Best Yet Life and Lore of the Smokies By Bonnie Trentham Myers, 160, 178 et passim. One can also search "possums for food" and get lots. Same thing was at issue in the raccoonarticle. DavidOaks ( talk) 03:27, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
Added a note, with a memoir source, on possum pie, which I have actually tasted. It is every bit as revolting as you think. DavidOaks ( talk) 03:36, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
The opossum can not have "foodways" as described by the wikipedia article foodways because these are uniquely human. Possums can not have social, cultural, or economic activities. Pygmypony ( talk) 15:29, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
What about the spelling standard of possum. Being there is apparently a difference between Opossum and possum, but I had been tought that for a possum it was spelled with a leading apostrophe ( ' ) as in 'possum. Bdelisle ( talk) 03:35, 3 May 2009 (UTC)
This is incorrect^
This claim contradicts two other wikipedia pages. The Monito del Monte and the Shrew opossum are South American marsupials not in the order Didelphimorphia. The source for the disputed claim is a youtube video, whereas the contradicting pages refer to scholarly sources. Therefore I propose to delete the claim. Qemist ( talk) 21:31, 30 October 2009 (UTC)
Could someone explain how this marsupial ended up in the Americas when the other marsupials we know of are in Australia? Carlm0404 ( talk) 00:25, 4 January 2021 (UTC)
Some old page history that used to be at the title "opossum" can now be found at Talk:Opossum/Old history. Graham 87 16:00, 20 December 2009 (UTC)
Possums are not eaten in pies here. They are a protected species and not allowed to be hunted and eaten. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.101.211.188 ( talk) 02:50, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
The forms "possum" and "'possum" are common in North America. I added a mention of this, as I could find no discussion on why not to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mkehrt ( talk • contribs) 01:50, 9 July 2010 (UTC)
I can't speak factually other than my personal experiences and the comments from my vets. Hubby says we have the Holts Summit City Zoo because we have dogs, cats, horses, deer, possums, coons, kois, fish of all kinds, cardinals, eagles, hawks, and a green wing macaw which he hates.
Granted most of these are wild animals - hence the 'zoo', lol!
Now, back to topic. We have coons and possums who think they are pets. Come on the deck to get in the trash cans, but will tease the dogs through the french doors in the early am. If it was a cartoon, they would have their thumbs in the ears going 'nah, nah, nah!'.
The possums are not welcome. Because of the horses - their feces can be fatal to a horse. However, like I said, ours think they are pets. I let the cat out one night and went to call it back. Didn't turn the deck light on but saw the cat on the steps but she didn't come. Went out in the dark and sat on step and petted the cat. As I ran my hand down her tail, I said 'what happened to your tail'? Ok, I'm a ditz - I talk to animals, computers, myself - ok, don't put me away yet!
At that point he turned to look at me and we both took off running - opposite directions - it was the possum!
I do take exception to the not aggressive statement. They haven't been to me, but I have seen them tear other animals, including dogs, to pieces.
If I can attach a pic I will. Here goes.
Ok, inserting pics didn't work. Anyone have any suggestions on how to insert pics? THanks.
I'm not really liking the recent edits added to the behavior section. They are a copy/paste verbatim of the website used in the reference. I'm not assuming anything, but I will say it looks like the owner of the website may have contributed the edits. They are, of course, welcome to edit the article. And I'm also not saying that the behavior mentioned doesn't happen. I've personally rehabbed many opossums. But I would like to see those edits rewritten and a stronger reference found for them. Vnarfhuhwef ( talk) 01:48, 25 August 2010 (UTC)
I moved some material that was clearly about the Virginia Opossum, but how much of what remains is? The Reproduction, Diet, and Behavior sections look very suspicious. — JerryFriedman (Talk) 04:51, 24 October 2010 (UTC)
The "Hunting and foodways" section talks about Cuba and Dominica, but there are no marsupials mentioned at List of mammals of Cuba and List of mammals of Dominica. A search for references to opossums on Cuba didn't turn up anything plausible. I suspect the part about Cuba, if genuine, refers to hutias, as these rodents have been miscalled opossums [3] [4]. — JerryFriedman (Talk) 14:37, 24 October 2010 (UTC)
Since the scientific name redirects to this page, this page requires a taxobox. Craig Pemberton 18:37, 7 June 2011 (UTC)
I believe marsupial morphology indicates that an opossum would have a
cloaca, and the "anal" scent gland(s) (typically 2) would actually be "paracloacal glands" (close to, but not part of the
cloaca). "Anal gland" might be common name, but is not the correct name. This assumes that an opossum is anatomically similar to Petauridae in that area -- but that is not certain. ~E
74.60.29.141 (
talk)
05:13, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
A quick check didn't reveal anything specific to the opossum, but this relates to the Bushtail possum:
[5] ~E
74.60.29.141 (
talk)
05:25, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
I note that an IP has twice removed the request for a citation for this line of the article:
Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.
The claim being made is that the statement is so "obvious" that it should be exempt from needing to be demonstrated in reliable sources. Now, that might be fair enough if the statement were obvious (per the second paragarph of WP:NOR), but I don't see that it is. I'm not saying it's untrue, mind you, just that it's not so obvious as to be exempt from the need for a citation if it is challenged - as it has been. Specifically, I don't see that it's "obvious" that an opossum has an unspecialised biology (though it probably does), nor do I see that it's obvious it's reproductive strategy would make it adaptable to diverse conditions (how does it make it adaptable?), nor do I even see that it's obvious that opposums are, in fact, "successful colonisers and survivors in diverse... conditions" (relative to what?) The claim seems plausible enough not to be deleted as unsourced, but not so obvious that it doesn't need a citation. In fact, if it is that widely known, presumably a citation can't be hard to find? Anaxial ( talk) 00:34, 26 November 2012 (UTC)
Based on that "map", one would assume there is not a single chance of possums in Florida or the SE US. This is certainly not the case. These guys inhabit my garbage cans and routinely lock horns with my dogs.
I think that map is based on a certain variety of possum not found in the SE US. This should be expanded to encompass all varieties of this species, esp. in an article simply entitled "opossum".
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The O in "opossum" is spelled but not pronounced. It is a silent letter, just like the H in the word "honest." The articles "a" and "an" are correctly based on the first pronounced letter, not simply the first letter.
So, you have the phrase "an honest man" not "a honest man," even though H is a consonant. Likewise, the phrase should be "a opossum" not "an opossum," again based on the first pronounced letter.
Therefore, I will go through the Article changing "an opossum" to "a opossum." The O in "opossum" is no different from the H in "honest." The Mysterious El Willstro ( talk) 02:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
The current first paragraph says twice that people often say "possum". I think it's needed only once. Would anyone like to fix this, or should I? — JerryFriedman (Talk) 13:22, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
I've only seen "O"possum used in very liberal N. American public school textbooks -- Probably something you'd see in New England, even though this creature exists only in Southern States (ie. -- virgins writing about sex). Are there any other (balanced) references to reinforce this nomenclature? This naming convention seems to be something designed to be purposely contrarian or obscure for the sake of being so. Nobody I know that inhabits the same space as this creature says "O"possum, but a Northerner (without access) will be lighting quick to correct them on their spelling/pronounciation?? Political correctness (or something else)? Agenda? American English does not have a silent "O". This seems to be something from British English (ie. "phOetus") -- but again, this creature does not inhabit the same space from where this seemingly nonsensical pronunciation is derived, which makes one question the motivation for the spelling of "Opossum". 24.51.222.35 ( talk) 11:57, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
I live in rural Missouri (we have lots of possums) and I had no idea anybody called them Opossums. If we have a scientific name, and a common name, shouldn’t the common name be what real people actually call the creature? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.35.46.38 ( talk) 21:50, 18 October 2017 (UTC)
Google Ngram suggests possum is the more commonly used form of this word. [1] 73.54.161.248 ( talk) 19:06, 14 December 2018 (UTC)
References
Throwing in my two cents...In the West, too, they are exclusively called 'possums.' The only place one EVER hears or sees 'opposum' is in grade school science textbooks, and the teacher may make some one-liner comment about 'opossum' being the official name for possums. Now, I have no idea what they say in Nee England, but re: the OP's remarks, it is nothing to do with liberalism. it is annoying, though, that an official name declared some 400 yards ago should be etched in stone for all eternity - and which had not been the commonly used term in, maybe, 390 years? Firejuggler86 ( talk) 03:44, 23 October 2020 (UTC)
The entire article is shaping up nicely with excellent documentation and citations. But the "Behavior" section is lacking in that area. I would prefer to leave the material currently there, but if anyone can provide proper documentation and sourcing, that would really help shore this up. Thank you. Looking excellent. PAGauden ( talk) 18:08, 7 July 2014 (UTC)
I'd rather leave this to someone with an existing login and some "cred" on this page...
Two, unnamed, tribe-level subgroups of subfamily "Didelphinae" (according to the classification for the genera therein) are presently indented beneath species "Chironectes minimus"
Yes, it's obviously a simple editing goof--just a bit nettlesome to see.
However, dealing with something like this--however trivial--beats arguing about colloquial pronunciations in a context of scholarship!
173.226.163.42 ( talk) 08:27, 17 August 2014 (UTC)
I noticed that this article's list of genera is missing the Alphadon, which states that it belongs to the oppossums. Anyone know enough to add this in? -- Somarinoa ( talk) 01:32, 15 January 2015 (UTC)
The "Biochemistry" sub-section is very small, this information could possibly be combined with the information about their survival and self-defense mechanisms.
The "Hunting and foodways" section is a little choppy and not as easy to read as the rest of the article, I recommend a reordering/grouping of the information in this section to give it a better flow.
There is also little information on habitat, and more citations are needed (or need to be updated). Brittabarre ( talk) 02:24, 3 April 2017 (UTC)
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Either the lead image on this page or the one on the Virginia opossum page should probably be changed so they don't both use the exact same image. It's a featured image so I don't know if it'd go better on this broader page or the page for the exact species it's about (though this page seems way too focused on the Virginia opossum as it is). -- Jessietail ( talk) 22:17, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
If you want to know what diseases affect opossums and do a Google search what you get is a list of what diseases they carry, which is not the same thing. It would be nice if experts could add a section describing these and the symptoms that might be observed in opossums. Ealtram ( talk) 23:38, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
Under the 'Reproduction and life cycle' section it states they can give birth to "very large numbers" of young, and 13 is the max number that can feed from the mother. I think it could be helpful to include more information about the maximum litter size (so it's made aware how many may pass away due to the mother not having space) as well as including the average litter size. HeyImAl ( talk) 18:49, 5 February 2020 (UTC)
The hallux in the hind feet of the opossum is opposable.— Preceding unsigned comment added by SaltySemanticSchmuck ( talk • contribs)
Do not use word possum for nickname on someone I care about. She is family. 174.29.93.157 ( talk) 10:50, 25 February 2022 (UTC)
Tagging @ Jameel the Saluki and @ PresN
I do not know why in the species listing, Philander nigratus - Black four-eyed opossum redirects to Philander andersoni - Anderson's four-eyed opossum. The IUCN apparently recognized only 7 species (instead of 10 by the MDD or 13 in the wiki genus page Philander). P. nigratus is not recognized by the IUCN (yet). The MDD recognize P. nigratus using the common name "Black four-eyed opossum" and using Anderson's four-eyed opossum for P. andersoni. The MDD do mention, however, in their taxonomy notes, that Philander nigratus is a split from P. andersoni. However, if wikipedia used the common name Black four-eyed opossum for this species, i think it should not redirect to P. andersoni ?
What's your thoughts on this ? Or perhaps, the page P. nigratus if done, should have just like some other unclear taxa (for example Dingo) multiple latin names positions, i.e Philander nigratus or Philander andersoni nigratus
P-S : P. quica is the genus page of Philander and not in this page. Gimly24 ( talk) 13:42, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
The article itself notes that opossums have been extending their range northwards. This is certainly true in Southern Ontario. I have seen some in Bolton, northwest of Toronto. The map should really be updated. Kelisi ( talk) 07:37, 8 March 2023 (UTC)
Am I missing something or is there no mention of their rough lifespan in the article? 109.241.61.214 ( talk) 03:55, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
Under the classification section there are 16 different species that are no longer recognized as valid, and 14 of those have their own separate pages. Just wondering what we should do about them? Most of them have been reclassified as synonyms of other species that are valid, and idk what to do about their pages. For now I marked the invalid ones and listed the species they are synonyms for, but it would be better to clean it up. DirtWhiskey ( talk) 07:22, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
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In the etymology section, it states:
Siebert reconstructs the word phonemically as /a·passem/.
Who is “Siebert” here? The name doesn’t seem to be referenced before this sentence.
The citation for the sentence is “Crawford, James Mack; Crawford, James D. (1975). Studies in Southeastern Indian Languages. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-0334-5.” However, the editor there is “Crawford”, not “Siebert.” It’s possible that “Siebert” is the author of the relevant passage, but the name doesn’t appear in the small linked excerpt on Google Books. I don’t have the cited book, and there’s no ebook available, so I can’t check it for more detail.
Does anybody have a good justification for the name “Siebwet”, or a better phrasing for that sentence without the name? Magicmat ( talk) 11:35, 6 April 2024 (UTC)