possum vs opossum

In English, the phrase is used when someone pretends to be asleep, dead, or ignorant of a situation. The term possum covers about 70 species of marsupials native to Australia and surrounding islands.Opossum covers over 100 species of marsupials living in the Western Hemisphere.Opossums are often referred to colloquially as possums (or ‘possums), but in scientific contexts, possum and opossum refer to different groups of animals. Its fur is bushier and softer. “Blorft” is an adjective I just made up that means ”Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.” I have been blorft every day for the past seven years.Hey Susie Derkins, is that your face, or is a ‘possum stuck in your collar?

The possum and the opossum are both hunted animals and possess an instinct to play dead, or “play possum” when threatened.Whether the sharp-toothed furry critter who rustles around outside your garbage cans at night is a possum or an opossum may simply come down to where you are in the world.This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Cyclone vs. Typhoon vs. Hurricane: Are They All The Same?“Net” vs. “Gross”: What Does This Difference Cost You?“Ketchup” And Other Words That Come From Mandarin Or Cantonese3 Ways To Sound Assertive (Instead Of Passive-Aggressive)What Does Virgo Mean? Opossums belong to the didelphidae family, while possums fall under phalangeridae. Possum Vs. Opossum The possum and the opossum are both hunted animals and possess an instinct to play dead, or “play possum” when threatened. For instance, most would assume that an Australian saying “possum” is referring to the animal that lives in his native country. A small child tries to tell her family that it’s a possum sporting a top hat and vest who is knocking, but they don’t see anything when they open the door. With their signature bare tail, the opossum is North America’s only known marsupial; this means the animal carries its young in a pouch much like the Australian kangaroo. The opossum is primarily dark gray in color but some resemble cinnamon, and, as in Heidi’s case, white opossums are known to exist. All Rights Reserved. In common use, possum is the usual term; in technical or scientific contexts opossum is preferred. However, the main difference between the two is that the opossum has a bald tail, while the possum has a bushy tail full of fur. But for some reason, they are more commonly referred to as possums, just like our native Australian species.

Terri is an American, but she owns a zoo in Queensland, Australia. What does that expression mean? The opossum is primarily dark gray in color but some resemble cinnamon, and, as in Heidi’s case, white opossums are known to exist. An opossum is a white and gray marsupial that … Words To Describe This Earth SignEnter your email for word fun in your inbox every day. John Smith spelled it “opassum,” but William Strachey spelled it “aposoum.” Possums, on the other hand, live in Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, New Zealand, and China. They’re very cute, very gentle. The American possums are actually called opossums, scientific name, Didelphimorphia. Opossum (Possum) Pennsylvania Game Commission/Jacob Dingel. Already your lungs have flown away like a bird and your guts have slithered away like a snake. Both the possum and the opossum are nocturnal, nomadic omnivores and live on an expansive diet that includes insects, frogs, birds, snakes and fruits. Inexplicably, they’re known often to befriend cats–a Google search will bring up many pix and stories. English colonists living in Jamestown derived the word from its equivalent in Powhatan, a language spoken by the Virginia Algonquian tribe. To which animal is she referring? Delivered to your inbox! Wait a minute, did you notice that she used possums and opossums in the same paragraph? Opossums are also known by the scientific name ‘didelphimorphia’, derived from the Greek term ‘didelphys’, meaning double-wombed. But I wasn’t the only one who was fooled by all this; there are still plenty of websites out there that claim possums and opossums are the same. — Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes Just to cement things further, possums and opossums belong to different taxonomic families. You will see possum written in two ways. While Possum is a marsupial animal, native to Australasia. A Comparison with the UK and the USClose Encounters with the Wonderful Australian WildlifeIf your comment doesn’t get answered, find out why….. Opossum, pronounced uh-poss-uhm, is still favored for formal writing. Opossum vs. Possum: Difference. Virginia opossums are the only North American marsupials. The opossum is primarily dark gray in color but some resemble cinnamon, and, as in Heidi’s case, white opossums are known to exist. I’ve only ever seen him once and you can read about that experience in the same blog post that has the pictures of the American opossums.Oh, and just in case you didn’t check it out, here’s an American opossum… Yes, there is. From context, you can conclude that it’s “the only North American marsupial.” In fact, it is quite common for people to drop the O of opossum in speech and in print. Now your tongue drops dead like an opossum, while your jaw begins to gallop on the spot.The room is the color of old opossum or new pumice, the color of newspaper without ink.I’ve always liked possums. I need to know why our possums are so darn cute and look like they could be a pet and American opossums look like they are mutated???? People interchangeably use these words just like bison and buffalo. To make the plural of opossum and possum, just add S to the end. Possums, on the other hand, are marsupials of Australian origin.

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