Opossums are the only marsupials found in North America! Marsupials are mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch where females carry their underdeveloped young through early infancy. If an opossum becomes threatened by a more powerful opponent, it will often play dead.
TYPE OF ANIMAL:
mammal, marsupialia (marsupial)
western, central and eastern USA, Mexico, Central America; native to Texas
IUCN CONSERVATION STATUS:
zoos - up to 6+ years
females tend to live in groups