Latest Possum Stories
By SKINNER, Marina Bill Milne, community conservationist: B March 3, 1926; d May 14, 2008, aged 82. -------------------- BILL MILNE never had much time for possums. When he was recovering from tuberculosis in Wellington Hospital after World War II they would climb on to the veranda railing beside his bed to steal fruit brought by visitors. Being confined to bed didn't stop him taking to the pests with a piece of wood. Mr Milne appreciated that possums did even more harm to native bush...
Sir, Early in the 1980s, I was prosecuted by the police for not burying possum carcasses. The prosecution was based on my own verbal admission of activity as a possum trapper in 1960-61. I was convicted, fined and had to pay costs. Council and local body regulations stipulate the proper method of disposing of carcasses, whether poisoned or not - either composted or buried. Today the Department of Conservation and Animal Health Board are jointly responsible for 1080 poisoning thousands of...
Latest Possum Reference Libraries
The grey four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) is native to Central and South America. Its range extends from southern Mexico to Peru and from Bolivia to southwestern Brazil. It prefers a habitat within disturbed, primary, and secondary forests, typically at altitudes between sea level and 3,280 feet. In these habitats, it is most commonly found near water, although it can live in drier areas. The grey four-eyed opossum derives its name from the distinct patch of white fur on its forehead...
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial that occurs north of Mexico in North America. It is commonly known as the North American opossum and as “tlacuache” in Mexico. It is often seen in or near human settlements, foraging through waste for food. Its range includes Central and North America, east of the Rockies, and from Costa Rica to southern areas of Ontario, Canada. It has been found farther north than Toronto and in northwestern Minnesota, and so it is...
The Common Opossum or Manicou is an opossum species living from the south of Mexico to Bolivia. It prefers the woods, but can also live in fields and cities. The Common Opossum is approximately as big as a cat. Its fine and smooth tail can measure 19.7 inches (50 cm). It has 50 teeth. The Common Opossum is a nocturnal animal. During the day, it sleeps in the hollow of a tree. Its head stays under the rest of its body. It eats fruits (such as mangoes), worms, frogs, and insects but...
