A Furry Visitor

[joelbct]

I heard a ruffle on the porch, and noticed we had an inquisitive friend in our potted plants-

 

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/joelbct/visitor2.jpg

 

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/joelbct/visitor.jpg

 

He or she rather enjoyed being photographed, and was not particularly intent on leaving in any great hurry.

 

-Joel

[K-oz]

hey, wow

Of which animal group is he or she I hope that was pc

[FormicaLinoleum]

It's a North American possum (I think there are different kinds of possums in other parts of the world). I hate to say it, but they are pretty ugly animals. This one doesn't look so bad. An interesting thing about them is that when they are threatened they play dead. Once a number of years ago, I looked out in my yard and saw my dog standing over one lying on the ground and I thought "oh no, she's killed a possum!" So I called her in and tried to psych myself up to go deal with it. But when I looked out again, it was walking away. I had forgotten all about how they do that.

[Kathryn]

I used to have them visit my front porch rather frequently (I live in a small town, and there used to be a kind of woodsy area about a block away, and lots of trees---the people who lived there have now hacked down a lot of the trees, so the raccoons and possums and other critters are no longer around that much any more ). I have come out at times to find one snooping around my front porch, then suddenly just freezing, as if s/he's thinking "If I don't move, she won't see me!"

 

One tip on Possums: if you see one hit in the road, stop if you can to check and see if there are any babies in a pouch. Possums (also known as Opossums) are marsupials, and oftentimes mothers can get hit by cars and die, but the babies are still alive in the pouch). Then take them to a wildlife rehab place to be cared for.

[Kathryn]

I hate to say it, but they are pretty ugly animals. This one doesn't look so bad.

 

I've always thought they were 'almost cute," like they'd be cute if their noses weren't so bare and, especially, if they had some hair on their tails (in these photos, you can't see the bare, rat-like tail, which is probably the most unattractive feature of the critter).

[K-oz]

It's a North American possum

 

Ah, thanks!

And I agree with Kathryn. I don't find them ugly.

 

Now I remeber that I saw many of them dead on street, when I was in the US. Sad thing

[offense74]

It was one of the goals when I was in the US to see an armadillo and I didn't get to. Maybe I didn't look hard enough or they don't strut around at the strip in Las Vegas (but they should be in Arizona, right?). I got to see alot of large people though which isn't too bad either.

Oh, well I liked the US so I guess there will be upcoming opportunities.

 

Oh, and thanks for sharing. Furry creatures are fun too

[tofuPUNK]

You can see a lot of armadillos in Texas.

 

I do have one question for folks in Europe. I have heard that in Europe there are no skunks (the animal). Is this true?

[offense74]

You can see a lot of armadillos in Texas.

 

I do have one question for folks in Europe. I have heard that in Europe there are no skunks (the animal). Is this true?

I don't think we have 'em. At least I've never seen one.

 

If it's dangerous they probably have it in Australia. All animals that will bite you, whip you, rip you to pieces, poison you, gas you or otherwise kill you within 3 seconds resides there. If I ever go to Australia I will invest in a NASA certified space suit.

[tofuPUNK]

I am assuming then that there are no skunks in Europe, as that if you had them, you would definately know it. Skunks are harmless small animals that are scavengers similar to oppossums and raccoons. They are black with a white stripe running from their nose down their backs to the tip of their bushy tail. The thing that they are most noted for is their horrid smell. This is a defense mechanism, where if they are threatenend, they will spray their would be attacker with this strong smell musk from their anal glands. Normally if a skunk "sprays", you can smell it for miles (especially if one gets killed on the road).

 

The "Bugs Bunny" cartoons perpetuated the stereotype of the "smelly frenchman" (no offense to the french by this author) by using a french skunk named "Pepe Le Pew" (Pew meaning stinky). This stereotype would be further accentuated since there aren't any skunks in France.

 

http://annettelamb.com/nature/skunk/skunk03.jpg

 

 

 

http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Pepe.gif

[finbarrio]

Skunks are cool. I've come across many in my day and have never been sprayed. They just scuttle along, or even just hang out and sniff around.

 

Of course, I wouldn't let my dogs near one - that'd be a different story.

 

Fun fact I heard recently: the best method of getting out the awful skunk spray smell is to wash with a douche product. I guess the tomato juice method is much more well-known and used, but apparently the douche method works even better.

[loveliberate]

A dog that lived with us got sprayed by a skunk once... She picked an amazing time to do it - jumping out the window after the skunk when my wife was in the middle of labor, then running back in a moment later yelping & extremely stinky...

[Kathryn]

Call me strange if you will, but sometimes when I smell skunk from a distance, it doesn't smell bad, but kind of musky and appealing. Now, that's from a distance: as I get closer, it goes from appealing to appalling. (though still maybe better than some men's aftershave or women's perfume I've smelled!)

[tofuPUNK]

Years ago, I used to run after dark in the summer as it was cooler. I would run laps around the neighborhood and would always get "tagged out" by my cat who enjoyed jumping out from under the bushes and attack my legs as I would run past. Anyway, after each run, I would sit on a two-seater bench swing underneath an oak tree to cool down. One night after a run in the summer evening heat, I was sitting in the swing with the cat next to me. I was listening to my headphones and I had my eyes closed, whilst petting the cat with one hand. Anyway, I felt the cat suddenly tense up, I opened my eyes and saw a mother skunk with four baby skunks following behind her walking 2 feet in front of me. I put a tight grip on the cat, but he knew better than to chase after them. He just watched them walk by, and we both escaped unscathed.