The word opossum comes to us from the now extinct Native American Powhatan language in eastern North America. Opossums - casually called possums - are marsupials. (Kangaroos are possibly the most famous of marsupials.) Possums are the only marsupials in the wild in North America. They give birth when their young are not fully developed, the babies living in a pouch on their mothers' bellies for months until maturity.

When frightened, possums may make scary hissing noises. Sometimes they faint into a rigid, motionless state, exuding stench from the anal glands. This fools predators into thinking they're dead (the source of the term 'playing possum'). Hissing and playing dead do not create any danger to humans. Possums' pale fur is soft and beautiful, but their long, hairless tails may be disturbing to human attitudes regarding what is attractive. From a more metaphysical perspective, the possum totem is strong and bonds comfortably with some humans' sense of identity. Possums are worthy of respect.

I haven't seen any possums for a couple of years. With the drought and other factors, their food and water sources may have been diminished. They've somewhat adapted to modern human habitat, feasting off cat food in people's garages for example. Possums tend to be nocturnal. Years ago, one was discovered feeding in our kitchen, entering and exiting through the cat door in the night.