Possums Galore!

by Fran Sancroft, Catherine McNicol, Paula, Sue
(Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Scarborough)

Fran Sancroft from Pickering, Ontario, wrote to tell us ... Just saw a dead Opossum by the side of the road in Pickering, Close to Duffins Creek (Finch Ave.) It must have been hit this morning or last night as it was still "fresh". Could not see if it was male or female, but it looks adult. Nice canine teeth visible and the fur was beige brown with creamy coloured underparts. Sorry if this is a rarity in this part of Ontario, and sorry it was hit by a car - not mine! RIP Possum

Catherine McNicol from Ajax, Ontario, wrote to say ... I have never seen an Opossum before, but my friend's dog whom I was watching for the week would not settle down for the night, and started to bark , and growl. I went to see what it was that he was barking at, I saw the strangest little creature, sitting on my back porch eating the fruit I had thrown out for the raccoons. It was a very snowy cold night, he must have been very hungry as he would not move away from the food he was eating, even as the dog barked furiously at it. I took the dog away so he would not frighten the creature. It had along tail and a pointed face, and has a raccoon-type body, his fur is sort of greyish and his face looks white> I really don't know if it is female or male. I see it constantly during the day and I am not sure if that is unusual, or not. He is frisky and can move fast, I only pray that it comes to no harm, I do not have a photo of it, but i will try to get one, and re-post my letter when I do get one.

Paula from East York - Scarborough ... Well, I could hardly believe my eyes. There on my neighbour's front lawn was an Opossum, calmly watching and waiting for me and my dog to go by. The neighbour's cat was watching from its front porch. It was about 8:30 p.m. I stopped and stared for about three minutes, trying to convince myself that it really was a possum. My dog was barking, but not at the animals, but at passers by. When I returned from walking the dog, I couldn't see any signs of the possum, but assumed that it might have climbed the tree in the front yard. I hadn't heard that possums were starting to become familiar residents in southern Ontario until I looked up information about them on-line. OMG!

A reader from Whitby, Ontario, said ... This morning I looked out to our neighbour's yard with great surprise. There, going across their back yard was a Possum. We have seen them hit on the road near us and a large marsh, but this was different. It just walked across the yard and disappeared by our group of spruce trees. This is Whitby, Ontario. I have never seen some of the wild life we are seeing here. I have grown up here all my life. Last year we had a coyote to our back door and yard and even Eagles and several years ago Great Horned Owls and species of birds from last summer that are in Virginia and Alabama. I don't know much about Possums. Hope to learn.

Sue wrote to tell us ... My daughter and I saw a Possum in Whitby, Ontario. It was crossing the street. I had never seen one before and looked it up when we got home.


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