Thursday, January 1, 2009 9:58 PM CST
The custodian of the woods: The 'possum
By DAVE SHADOW, Hunting and Fishing Columnist
While perched in my deer stand one afternoon recently, I noticed a bit of movement about 60 yards to my right and eventually identified the source.
The creature moved slowly and methodically over, around and sometimes through each stump, log or other obstruction it found. It was especially enamored of an old hollow log as it explored every crack repeatedly.
Moving closer and closer, it circled the tree I occupied, seemingly unconcerned with my presence. Maybe it was just sizing me up.
Contrary to many of the other creatures of the woods, it seemed to lack any real attractive traits or personality. I moved an inch or so to make sure my bow was ready in case the critter attacked, and sensing my movement, it peered up at me through beady eyes. Its body was fat as though it had been eating well, except for a tail that seemed to be devoid of hair and only added to the severe ugliness that shouldn’t be possible in something that was still alive. I decided that the only way that this critter could be uglier was to be bigger. There was already a maximum amount of ugly in this small body. It had coarse white-gray hair and bare ears.
Coming out of my world of delusion, I continued to watch the ‘possum waddle along looking for some morsel — and finding one with some regularity, since they are not very particular eaters. He ate some dried berries and chewed on an acorn left behind by a squirrel. Insects seemed to be his favored goal as he scoured each crack in the rotten log. Eventually, the little package of ugly decided it had found all of the goodies near my tree and waddled off looking for greener pastures — or more rotten logs.
My mother once told me that all things have a purpose. Could be, but I couldn’t think of a likely purpose for this critter until I realized that he had eaten most everything that no other animal before him had wanted All the other animals had passed over these morsels, ahead of him, and he had cleaned up the area in preparation of a new season and a new crop. I deemed him the “custodian of the woods.”
Being North America’s only marsupial (female has a pouch) mammal, the female carries her offspring in her pouch for a while and then upon her back until they can fend for themselves. They eat insects, snails, rodents, berries, overripe fruit, grasses, leaves and carrion. That doesn’t leave much that a ‘possum won’t eat at one time or another. They have 50 teeth (more than any other mammal) and will live in a variety of habitats as they wander over the 125 to 250 acres that they consider their “home range.” They do not necessarily stay in the same place each time. Being mostly nocturnal (night feeders), they will also feed during daylight hours as food becomes more scarce. They do not hibernate but become very inactive at times to conserve energy. They live short lives, typically two to four years, and are preyed upon by almost all of the predators, including automobiles. They will hiss and bare their teeth if alarmed, and if pursuit continues, will climb a tree or enter a trance-like state we call “playing possum”.
The next time you see a ‘possum, just think of him as being your friendly neighborhood custodian.
It’s faith, family and fishin’.
Dave Shadow is the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier’s hunting and fishing columnist.
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