Playing Possum
Late last night, I let Genevieve go out front to use the bathroom one more time before bed…and saw something dash off to the left, which she promptly went and chased. I thought it was a cat, expected to hear a hiss or at least its claws climbing the fence quickly. Instead, I heard nothing. I went outside, and peeked around the corner, and I saw something very much like this picture…a little dead critter, is what it looked like! I’ve never seen a possum in real life before, at least not that I remember, so I wasn’t exactly sure WHAT it was…and I wondered how in the heck our gentle dog, Genevieve, had killed it SO QUICKLY, with no noise whatsoever, and no blood. Strange. Gen quickly lost interest, and got back to the business of peeing, and then I saw the little critter slyly get up, and slowly walk away…I swear, if it had had tiptoes to tiptoe away on, it would have. Then I knew exactly what it was, an opossum, and I knew what it had been doing.
Who knew there were opossums in my condo complex? Not me, that’s for sure.
13 Comments
Py Korry
Wow! For a minute there I thought Genevieve had the killer instinct in her.
Ml
What a smart critter. Gen was probably just mildly curious. My dog would have lifted his leg and peed on the opossum and then walked away.
Cherry
Really? You’ve never seen one?
I guess I grew up with them in our yard so I’m never surprised to see them. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen them in our complex either.
Opposums and Racoons are regular visitors at my parents (because THEY FEED THEM!)
J
Py, I was shocked as well to think that Gen had killed the thing SO QUICKLY!
ML, I wonder how often opossums that are ‘playing possum’ get peed upon? One of the hazards involved in that line of work, perhaps?
Cherry, I think I may have seen one in Stockton once, dashing across the road near my Grandma’s house, but it was dark and quick and I wasn’t sure. Knowing how big your parents yard is, I’m not surprised that they have them. Just surprised to have them around here. I shouldn’t be…we definitely have racoons. And lately, some kind of small hawk that’s been menacing the smaller birds.
Autumn's Mom
We have regular ol big ass possums over here. Usually when I notice them tho, they have already met their Maker.
Gina
Really, I think they are in lots of places, they just don’t like people and try to hide most of the time.
We don’t have them so much here, but we’ve got coyotes and bunnies.
Starshine
Just playin’ dead, huh? Cool encounter with nature.
kookiejar
Aren’t they shocking the first time you see them and aren’t sure what they are? My first time was when my husband frightened one and instead of playing dead it ran up a scrawny little tree. Terrible hiding place because the tree had no leaves. My husband came inside to get me and I couldn’t believe how hideous that thing was.
Joan
I’ve heard they do that but I would have been fooled and thought it was dead.
Maya's Granny
I remember when I was in high school reading that opposums were expanding their habitat north and were at that time just moving out of the deep south. My biology teacher said that by the 80s they expected to see them in California — and here they are, strongly established.
Katie
Wow, we had them all the time in my old house in the woods. I would have never expected them in CA and a condo complex. I wonder who is feeding them?? We have the coyotes though. UGH, they howl in my backyard in the middle of the night.
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I hope you sell your house soon. I’ll send all my house selling vibes your way!! Good Luck!
Mom101
I saw one for the first time a few years ago and they totally DO play possum! Who knew?
Wanderlust Scarlett
Laughed so much… kind of cute and gross all at the same time. I’ve never seen one either, now… thanks to you, if I do I will know what it is.
I’m still not going up to it.
Sneaky possum tiptoes… hee he hee
Scarlett & Viaggiatore