According to World Animal Protection, opossums are some of the mostmisunderstood animalsin the United States. Having originated in South America with over 100 different species, they are not always considered cute and cuddly, yet these creatures are unbelievably important to ourecosystems.
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Image credits:Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
The adult opossum had collided with a vehicle and passed away, leaving a bunch of scared little babies alone.
The rescue team was heartbroken but had to separate the babies from their late mother since the little opossums were relativelyhealthyand had a chance to survive.
Despite their sad story, the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue found a way to comfort the litter. The wild animal rehabilitation facility not only took care of the babies in an incubator with a nutrient-rich feeding plan but also gave them a plushy mom to cling to.
“I bet mom would be so happy to know her babies are safe and being taken care of,” the rescue team shared.
Speaking about opossums, not everyone knows that theseanimalsare related to kangaroos and koalas, since they are marsupials, and their babies stay in their pouches for up to three months.
Opossums have many interesting features and their 50 teeth are definitely one of them. That’s more than any North American land mammal!
They have a natural tolerance for snake venom and eat parasitic ticks as well as garden pests; therefore, opossums are often called ‘Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineers’.
While opossums may appear unkempt, they are actually incredibly clean animals, as they love self-grooming with their tongues and paws.
As for their paws, just like humans and other primates, opossums have the equivalent of opposable thumbs which are called hallux, which stand apart from the other toes in a way that looks very similar to a human hand and its thumb. The hallux not only provides the opossums with better grasping and climbing skills than most other mammals, but it’s also clawless, unlike the opossums’ other digits.
Little orphaned babies seemed to love their new plushy mom and were constantly snuggling into her fur
“Nothing prepares you for an opossum. They have a face only a mother could love. Really, they are such a weird looking animal,” psychologist and biologist Suzanne MacDonald once said.
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