Opossum The Nighttime Visitor

The opossum has a triangular shaped face.
The opossum has a triangular shaped face.

The opossum is the new nighttime visitor extraordinaire. Now that he has come around two times I am waiting with baited breath to see if he will be perched on the wall tonight.

Check out the long tail on the opossum hanging down.
Check out the long tail on the opossum hanging down.

The opossum tail is prehensile, which means they can wrap it around objects.

If you look very close, the opossum looking down at Irina the cat is visible through the blinds.
Take a close look and notice the opossum looking down at Irina the cat through the blinds.
This opossum was slightly larger than the average house cat.
This opossum was slightly larger than the average house cat and is peering over the wall here.
I am coming to have a new respect for this ancient marsupial, even though he will never be my favorite animal.
I am coming to have a new respect for this ancient marsupial, even though he will never be my favorite animal.

Opossum On A Wall

I am not sure why I am petrified of opossums, but I have to admit zooming in on this one freaked me out a little. From what I have read they are mostly docile and rarely carry rabies, and after a few minutes of photographing the opossum, I became a bit more mesmerized by him. Am I finally overcoming my didelphiphobia? No, I am still not a major fan of this marsupial, but apparently, they are helpful for killing slugs and other bugs in your garden. So their nocturnal antics might have a silver lining.

Sometimes cats sit on the brick wall, but Thursday night I an opossum was looking down at me.
Sometimes cats sit on the brick wall, but Thursday night I an opossum was looking down at me.

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The opossum’s eyes glow in the dark like a dog and cat. Also, I noticed there was some moisture dripping of the nose of the opossum, but that is natural.

The reason the eyes of some animals like dogs, cats and opossums have eyes that glow in the dark is because of tapetum lucidum, which is a reflective feature that helps certain species see better at night. Sorry, humans do not have this capability unless they are zombies.