Softies behind the teeth

Just before nightfall one evening, you might walk around to the side of your house for the scare of your life.

You’re about to throw a bag of garbage into the barrel when suddenly you’re confronted by a set of beady eyes and a long snout full of sharp teeth. Just as you take a step back, the creature hisses and looks like it’s ready to pounce.

Then you dart one way in a panic and the animal goes the other, never to be seen again. Congratulations, you’ve survived your first opossum encounter.

The opossum (or just plain possum) is one of the least understood species of wildlife in Southern California.

Because they often feed on garbage or pet food that’s been left outdoors, many people think they are rodents. But the opossum, with its long gray body that can reach 25 pounds and homely white snout, is a marsupial that is quite adaptable to its environment, whether that’s a backyard or a pine forest.

As do kangaroos, the mother possum keeps newborns in a pouch for the first few months, then lets them ride on her back while she searches for food. But contrary to popular myth, although the possum’s tail is prehensile, it doesn’t allow the creature to hang upside down.

“There probably isn’t a neighborhood in Southern California that doesn’t have at least one opossum,” said Lt. Marie Hewlett of the Orange County Animal Control District. “But since they’re nocturnal, most people don’t know they’re around.”

The English settler John Smith was the first European to see an opossum in Virginia, sighting one in 1612. Smith wasn’t impressed; he described the animal as having “a head like a swine and a tail like a rat.”

“People don’t understand them; they see an opossum and think it’s a giant tree rat,” says Evelyn Gabai of Van Nuys, a member of the Opossum Society, a volunteer organization that cares for injured and orphaned opossums.

Opossums, which have been in California for only the last 100 years, were introduced as pets; when let loose they flourished in the West Coast climate. They’ve been allowed to co-exist in human neighborhoods in part because they’re relatively clean, don’t carry rabies or distemper and have shy personalities.

Although opossums are wild animals and it’s not recommended by animal control officials that they be kept as pets, there are many that roam through homes and backyards like dogs and cats. “There are some opossums we care for that, because of their injuries, are unable to survive if released,” Gabai said. “Members of the society will often provide a home for these animals.”

Gabai, who has two house-trained opossums, says that living with one can take some getting used to. “They do something we call ‘sliming,’ which is where they’ll lick your skin and rub their head against you. It’s a sign of affection, but it’s an experience when, in the middle of the night, you’re awakened by a big opossum licking your face.”

The opossum is a scavenger and often prowls through backyards in the dark, looking for easy meals, whether that means scouring the lawn for insects or ransacking garbage bags. “They’ll really eat anything,” said Betty Hart of the Opossum Society. “That’s one of the reasons they’re so beneficial to the environment; they’re like nature’s garbage disposal.”

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In spite of the animals’ good works, confronting an opossum can be a terrifying experience. “I walked over to my backyard gate and heard this ungodly hiss,” said Marla Kepp of South Pasadena. “I looked up and this ugly thing was growling at me. I ran the other way so fast I think my shoes fell off.”

When surprised or cornered, the opossum will often take on the personality of a tiger. Its show of teeth and hiss are meant to scare away predators. That, however, is about as mean as the opossum gets. “Their eyesight isn’t good; you’d have to put your finger in their mouth and close their jaw to get a bite from an opossum,” Hewlett said.

If it can’t run and the scare tactics don’t work, the opossum will often try to “play possum.” Its body will become limp and it will pretend it’s been frightened into cardiac arrest. If a predator gets closer, the opossum will sometimes emit a foul-smelling fluid, hoping to make the predator stop. While the predator is trying to figure out what this strange-acting animal is, the opossum will try to surprise it by scurrying off.

Unfortunately, though, they tend to try these defensive tactics against their primary urban enemies--cars and dogs. Dogs, which see the opossum as an intruder on their territory, will usually attack it. Another problem, Hewlett said: “They’ll play dead in front of oncoming cars, which doesn’t work very well.”

Their high mortality rate leads to a number of orphaned opossums being found. “Until they get to be 4 to 5 months old, they can’t take care of themselves,” Gabai said.

The opossum’s luck with cars and pets probably has something to do with the lack of gray matter between its ears. Biologists use an “encephalization quotient” to show how a creature’s brain compares with brains of other species. A figure above 1.0 means the animal has a large brain for its size. Man is rated at 7.5, the crafty raccoon is given a 1.4 and the lowly opossum is down around the .35 range.

However, any animal that can quickly adapt to an environment as volatile as a neighborhood with fast-moving cars and hungry dogs and cats must have some street smarts.

“I’ve seen pet opossums figure out how to open louvered doors,” said Hart, who lives in Orange. “I’ve also heard of them going through pet doors to get inside of a house. I told the woman who called me about it to put a trail of food to the door and it will go back outside.”

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The opossum’s flexibility can get it into trouble while living in the suburban forest. Besides finding a way inside a house on a cold night, they’ve been known to seek warmth and refuge in automobile engine compartments. “I once had to rescue one from a washing machine,” Hewlett said. “They’re very curious and, once they fall into something, they have a problem getting out.”

If you’re not interested in providing a home for opossums in your yard, there are ways of making your property less attractive to them. The first is to eliminate easy sources of food and water.

“If you have fruit trees and you leave pet food outside, it’s like you’ve sent the opossums in the neighborhood an invitation,” Hewlett said. “Pick up any fallen or rotten fruit frequently and feed your pets in the house or garage.”

Garbage cans and bins should be kept sealed and leaky outdoor faucets fixed. Remove potential opossum homes by clearing out wood piles and debris. Make sure that ground-level vents that lead to the house and garage are securely sealed with a grate or screen.

“These are the same measures you’d take to keep mice and rats off your property,” Hewlett said.

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The Short Goodbye

An opossum that’s taken up residence in your backyard is not normally a nuisance. They usually don’t stay in one place very long, and after few days or weeks you may find that it’s moved on. However, if your dog is barking at your roaming tenant late at night, you may not be very popular in the neighborhood.

Contact your county animal control department. Safe traps are available for rent from most departments and, once the opossum has been contained, it will be picked up and released in a rural area.

The Opossum Society--(714) 536-3538--has information about opossums and volunteers throughout Southern California who care for injured and abandoned animals. If a sick or orphaned opossum is found, they recommend first contacting animal control or a veterinarian.