Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Opossums
What animal looks like a giant rat but isn't one? It has a prehensile tail like some monkeys, but it isn't one of those either. It has more teeth in its mouth than any other mammal, yet it is nearly defenseless. Do you know what it is? It's an opossum (uh-POS-uhm).
Opossums have fifty teeth, and their naked tails are used like a fifth foot. In spite of their odd looks, opossums do an important job. These shy, nocturnal mammals are great at scavenging for anything edible. They love old fallen fruit, eggs from unattended nests, garbage, and road kill. They also eat frogs, mice, rats, beetles, and cockroaches. Opossums will even eat some poisonous snakes and are immune to their venom.
Opossums are opportunists with regard to their housing as well. They like hollow logs, burrows, hollow trees, and stumps and will even hole up in homes and attics if there is an easy way in.
