I have been seeing quite a few opossum lately. Unfortunately, most of them have been roadkill. Luckily, this morning I saw one scurry across the road into the woods! Go, little guy, go! I decided my next totem animal piece was going to be the opossum. I have completed the ink and will be working on the color throughout the week.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to opossums. Many people see them as nasty rodents that carry disease and could be a threat. Some people are put off by their appearance, like a giant rat. Opossums, however, are marsupials. This means they carry their young in a pouch. They are the only marsupials found in the US and Canada. They are not disease ridden and do not carry rabies. Though they have an impressive set of teeth, they will not attack. They are…well…cowards. They will run away or “play ‘possum” rather than lunge at you or a pet.

Opossum spend a lot of their time in trees. They have prehensile tails to act as an extra limb to help with climbing. It is not, however, used for hanging upside down. Adults are too heavy to support their weight with just their tail. Young opossum are capable but it serves no purpose.

I hope you enjoyed the latest drawing! Check back soon to see the finished piece! Thanks for stopping by this week.

Until next time,

“I thought we’d be dead by step two, so this is going great.”