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Critters of the Week

A wild critter we spotted in the RVA area and a critter up for adoption by SPCA or RACC.

Published

6 years ago

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Shout out to @Vanjester on Instagram or donated her awesome photo of the opossum. Check out her Instagram it’s one of our favorites.

Where Spotted: Southside
Common Name: Opossum
Scientific Name: Didelphis virginiana
Length: 2.5 feet (76 centimeters), nose to tail
Weight: 8.8 to 13.2 lbs. (4 to 6 kilograms)

Quick Facts (more than usual)

  • North America’s only marsupial (female has a pouch) mammal. The female carries and nurses her young in her marsupium until they are about 2 to 3 months old; then they are carried on her back another 1 to 2 months whenever they are away from the den.
  • When threatened or harmed, they will “play possum”, mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. This physiological response is involuntary (like fainting), rather than a conscious act. When an opossum is “playing possum”, the animal’s lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close or half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands.
  • Opossums eat dead animals, insects, rodents and birds. They also feed on eggs, frogs, plants, fruits and grain. One source notes their need for high amounts of calcium.[40] To fulfill this need, opossums eat the skeletal remains of rodents and roadkill animals. Opossums also eat dog food, cat food and human food waste.
  • Opossums are also notable for their ability to clean themselves of ticks, which they then eat. Some estimates suggest they can eliminate up to 5,000 ticks in a season.[44]
  • Many large opossums (Didelphini) are immune to the venom of rattlesnakes and pit vipers (Crotalinae) and regularly prey upon these snakes.
  • The Virginia opossum was once widely hunted and consumed in the United States. Opossum farms have been operated in the United States in the past.

Skittles at Richmond SPCA

Hello everybody! My name is Skittles and I am always ready to make a statement. I know it is time to break out the trumpets and play the bugles because I am ready to prance into my own adoption parade! If you like to have fun and smile a lot, I am just the girl for you. We could have a downright blast together and I am becoming giddy by the minute simply thinking of how many photo albums we can fill together. I am waiting right here, at the Richmond SPCA!
Age: 6 years, 1 month
Gender: Spayed Female
Color: Brown / White
Declawed: No
ID: 44432944

Adopt Skittles at Richmond SPCA

Learn more about their adoption process.

To reduce visitor traffic, during the COVID-19 outbreak they are scheduling adoption appointments beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Please leave your phone number in a voicemail or email and an adoption counselor will call to set an appointment for you to meet with a pet. Email the adoption center or call 804-521-1307.

 

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Richard Hayes is the co-founder of RVAHub. When he isn't rounding up neighborhood news, he's likely watching soccer or chasing down the latest and greatest board game.