Reading over your comment now I regret downvoting it. When I was speed reading through I thought you were being flippant. I missed the context of your statement the first time. I just listened to a great radio documentary on crows (from CBC-Ideas) and their brainpower towards problem solving is more advanced than most primates. But they also usually do a gathering over a dead one as well. It's hard not to anthropomorphize these situations but on the other hand it may be specicentric to think we are the only ones that care about the loss of another. In short I apologize.

In reply to this comment by xxovercastxx:
Ok, I'm totally on board with the downvotes I'm getting on the "douchebag" remark (apologized for that earlier) but why this comment?

In reply to this comment by xxovercastxx:
I've heard cats grieve especially hard. Other animals will display this type of behavior, too. Raccoons, skunks and opossum are well known for trying to 'rescue' others who have been hit on the road. Deer will sometimes wait around when one gets hit. Dogs will also try to drag another dog off the road if it's been hit.

Unfortunately, this behavior usually just ends up causing more animals to be hit.

Ok, I'm totally on board with the downvotes I'm getting on the "douchebag" remark (apologized for that earlier) but why this comment?

In reply to this comment by xxovercastxx:
I've heard cats grieve especially hard. Other animals will display this type of behavior, too. Raccoons, skunks and opossum are well known for trying to 'rescue' others who have been hit on the road. Deer will sometimes wait around when one gets hit. Dogs will also try to drag another dog off the road if it's been hit.

Unfortunately, this behavior usually just ends up causing more animals to be hit.

I've heard cats grieve especially hard. Other animals will display this type of behavior, too. Raccoons, skunks and opossum are well known for trying to 'rescue' others who have been hit on the road. Deer will sometimes wait around when one gets hit. Dogs will also try to drag another dog off the road if it's been hit.

Unfortunately, this behavior usually just ends up causing more animals to be hit.

The possum is not a mean creature. Extremely docile. The possum does not carry rabies. It can hardly keep it once it contracts it, maybe because an opossum’s low body temperature (94-97º F) makes it difficult for the virus to survive in his adorable body. Any mammal can give you rabies if it gets it...even yer girlfriend.

They have two defense mechanisms they use frequently. They show their bad-ass looking teeth, or they play dead when touched, manhandled, etc., or a combination of the 2. They will go at you when their young are involved, usually attached to the female, so fuck with males, not the females.
They are ugly, but tame as kittens.

Rednecks..Can Suck my balls, regardless of country of origin.

My name is Laura. I have a little boy named Brennan who is just over a month old. My boyfriend and I have been together for two years come November. We work fast!

I have a wonderful kitty named Gojira who is part lynx and has a very squishy nub tail--everyone asks when he lost the rest of his tail, but he never had a long tail to begin with! He's the light of my life and I consider him my first born son. Yeah, I know. I'm cat lady material. I also have a part husky, part boxer dog named Stanley Cup. Yes, we are hockey fans! My boyfriend has limited the amount of pets I can have or else I'd fill the house with reptiles and rescued animals. I had an opossum who killed himself. He crawled into the back of my mini-fridge. I've also had a raccoon. I've had a chipmunk. I've had bunnies, snakes, guinea pigs, hamsters, geckos, lizards of many creeds and colors, birds, you name it! I've tried to save so many birds and rodents who my parent's cats mangled. I feed all the stray animals in my neighborhood, including coyotes, to the chagrin of my neighbors. >:]

I love love LOVE to read.

I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. Not a bad town by any means. Just boring. But clean! I live on the far east side at the edge of the town, where cornfields and countryside begin.

I have a deep, abiding love of video games. I play WoW, although my raid members are upset with me because I haven't logged on since my son was born. Hard to commit when you have a little human completely dependent on you.

I work for my mother, who owns an insurance agency. I do everything I can to keep her organized.

I can't think of anything else to add, so that sums it up!

>> ^Deano:
^My extensive Wikipedia researching reveals that Possum is the shortened version of Opossum. I guess saving that extra syllable was important.


My pupil speaks the truthe.

^My extensive Wikipedia researching reveals that Possum is the shortened version of Opossum. I guess saving that extra syllable was important.

>> ^HadouKen24:
It's possum, not uh-possum. It is a possum, but not the a possum, or an a possum.
It's an opossum, actually.
Possums are Australian. They look similar, but are more arboreal.



Really? It is? They were called possums when I was growing up.

Um. Okay, well never mind then.

This makes me miss my opossum Opie. I had him for a few years until he crawled into the back of my mini-fridge and electrocuted himself.

He was a sweetie and loved to crawl into my purses and sleep.

My dog brought him in one day; he was playing dead, just a little yearling. I had had raccoons, before, so I gave him a chance. ! Miss him..

It's possum, not uh-possum. It is a possum, but not the a possum, or an a possum.

It's an opossum, actually.

Possums are Australian. They look similar, but are more arboreal.

those are the fatest opossums i've ever seen

During his years in the military his DNA was fused with that of a opossum. Now he is an attorney by day and at night he becomes POSSUM MAN! Wherever danger lurks he will play dead!

I was confused until I realize that a possum and an opossum are completely different beasts. upvote for cuteness and ambiguous animal names.

The American opossum (America's ONLY marsupial, btw) is an incredibly stupid and occasionally mean-spirited animal, especially if cornered. Also, they don't carry rabies as their body temperatures (94-97 degrees F) are too low for them to be effective carriers. Any mammal can get rabies, but it is extremely rare in possums.

"say ah"

That is kinda badass for a possum. Are the australian ones known for being tougher?

One of my dogs pulled an opossum off the top of my fence several months ago. It curled up and, well, played possum. I didn't see any blood, but I poked it a bit to see if the dog killed it just in case. It curled a little tighter so I just picked it up by its tail and tossed it over the fence. May sound a bit harsh, but it was definitely better off street side, and was basically no worse for wear.