In a message dated 12/14/2008 6:21:27 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
karen AT plamondon.com writes:
James writes:
> Did you know that it is not something the possum does voluntarily? It as
a
sort of fainting coma brought on by stress and fright.
We have possums in western Oregon (introduced by immigrants from the South)
that compete with the native raccoons for the "trash-eater" niche. When I
was attending Oregon State, I had a job with campus security doing "dorm
patrol" -- checking that the doors were locked and shut, watching for
suspicious activity, etc. I came across several wild animals on campus,
including possums. They must not have found me frightful enough, since they
always bared their dozens of pointy teeth and hissed at me.
Happily, they don't seem to do well in the Coast Range, so I haven't had to
deal with them as predators. Raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, owls, hawks and
crows are bad enough.