Is an Opossum a Type of Hamster?
📝 Summary
Opossums and hamsters look nothing alike and aren't related — the opossum is a marsupial with a very old lineage. This guide introduces the opossum's origins, diet, looks, and famous 'playing dead' trick.
1 About the Opossum
1. Opossums are fairly common pets abroad, descended from ancestors that migrated from South America to North America. They evolved over a long time and now live mainly in Latin America, spreading as far as southern Canada. Small ones are rat-sized; some are larger than a cat.
2. Opossums have very low, inborn intelligence — naturally ‘spacey’ — but their lack of pickiness is why they survived. They are nocturnal, eating insects and snails but also fruits and seeds; they eat almost anything digestible.
3. Despite size differences they look alike: long nose, pointed head and mouth, thin nearly furless ears, and a soft, strong tail. Like people they have five toes, and the hind foot’s thumb folds against the sole. They are endearingly clumsy, moving both sides together, but it doesn’t hinder them; they grip branches tightly and stare down strangers to decide a response.
The opossum is famous for ‘playing dead’ — at actor level — using the trick to fool predators and escape. For more on opossums, see our other articles.
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