Opossum

Opossum, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), commonly known as the North American Opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America north of the Rio Grande.
The Virginia Opossum is noted for its reaction to threats, which is to feign death. This is the genesis of the term "playing possum", which is used to describe an attempt to pretend to be dead or injured with intent to deceive. In the case of the opossum, the reaction seems to be quite involuntary, and to be triggered by extreme fear. It should not be taken as an indication of docility, for under serious threat, an opossum will respond ferociously, hissing, screeching, and showing its teeth. But with enough stimulation, the opossum will enter a near coma, which can last up to four hours. It lies on its side, mouth and eyes open, tongue hanging out, emitting both a green fluid from its anus and an odor putrid to most predators. Besides discouraging animals who eat live prey, playing possum also convinces some large animals that the opossum is no threat to their young.

The One That Got Away!

The One That Got Away!, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

It's been really slow for me lately. I can't seem to find anything, and even something as interesting as this opossum can't stand to even look my way! Come On! I can't catch a break!

Critter Captures

When I started out dabbling in wildlife photography many years ago, what drew me initially was animals. I had never, believe it or not, seen a buck up close. A friend had blown up a photo of a buck and showed it to me while I was over at her house for a visit. It was beautiful! I wanted to see in person what she captured, so I asked her to take me with her sometime. She agreed, so I dug out my college camera, which was a Pentax K1000 manual film camera. I had gotten a cheap 500mm zoom many years back, and I don't even know why I had it, but I am glad I did. We went out to her favorite deer areas, but didn't see a buck. Well, that elusive buck fueled the desire to capture one even more. I took shots of everything. Squirrels, robins, sparrows, you name it, just to shoot something, and the obsession was born. I wanted to shoot everything. Bucks, raccoons, fox, etc. were my focus, but to find them on a regular basis was a mighty tall order. Birds were abundant, so my lens shifted to the trees and skies. I didn't know a thing about birds. I knew your everyday basics, but even capturing, say a cardinal, was not what I could walk out the back door and shoot. I discovered all kinds of species along with their interesting markings, and absorbed every tidbit of information on them. I bought my first field guide. I bought my first digital camera. I bought my first printer. I bought my first everything from zooms to filters to remote shutters and tripods. I made a few mistakes. I bought plenty of junk and had to buy over again. I was now beginning to understand quality/price. What an expensive road I have been down, and I am still stepping...So I ask...What is your story?
Ahhh, the memories...But, I digress...What made me think of my beginnings was this series of photos. I saw alot of critters, and didn't photograph any birds, which is rare.



An up close opossum, which was exciting. Actually it's a first for me! The hair textures were interesting, and the delicate pink nose was intriquing. It's worth clicking on the photo to see the detail.



I've seen this particular coyote many times, as have you, so I wonder why? Are food sources scarce that he needs to be exposed? I don't know, but he looks very healthy.




I've also seen this buck many times, as have you. How can you not take just one more photo? I can't.