Playing Possum

I guess if I'm going to show you an armadillo, I may as well go ahead and show you a possum. Is it possum or opossum? Looks like maybe opossum is more correct, but whatever. I found this guy a little earlier in the same day I saw the armadillo, both at Myakka River State Park. As you might have guessed, it was an unusually productive day out there. I don't know what this guy was doing out during the day, since they're usually nocturnal. I was a little worried that he may have been rabid, so I kept my distance as well as I could and still get some pictures. I did see what looked like a tumor on his side, so he could quite easily have been ill. But here's a nice front and rear view to help you identify one the next time they show up in your headlights. And yes, they really can hang from that tail, but only when they are little.

I wish I could get you a picture of a female opossum. They have pouches, similar to kangaroos. Well, I doubt it's as cute as kangaroo, but still...