Hi Chris:
Just a minor clarification. "Opossums" are marsupials from South and North America.
The one commonly found in the USA and southern parts of Canada is the Virginia
Opossum. And yes, it is somewhat unattractive to many and is known to be a bit
aggressive.
"Possums" are actually the small marsupials from Australia and Indonesia. An excellent
example is the Sugar Glider which are quite attractive and can make excellent pets [I
have 30 of them].
I suppose many get the terms "Opossum" and "Possum" confused because the 'O' is often
dropped in the vernacular. Remember the show "The Beverly Hillbillies"? They often
mention "possum pie" while actually referring to the Virginia Opossum as the main
ingredient.
This doesn't have any to do with Gerbils [there, now it's relevant <grin>] but it is
an interesting topic nevertheless.
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On Mon, 21 Aug 2000 01:47:37 Chris Keil wrote:
>> >A very attractive rodent by any name. Could it be a beautiful opossum? I
>> >know, opossums are marsupials! But, it's worth a shot.
>>
>> I don't think so, opossums are about the size of a cat, at least the
>> species that lives around my part of the world.
>>
>> Devon.
>
>I concur. BAX ships a surprising amount of Opposums (why anyone would want
>to ship a Possum is well beyond me, but hey, it ain't my possum) so I get to
>see them close up and alive. That rodent in the link is cute. Opposums are
>some of the ugliest creatures I've ever seen. Conical, hairless snouts and
>rows of jagged teeth. Yeesh.
>
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