The lifespan of opossum in the wild reaches up to 5 years, in captivity with proper care and diet up to 7 years or more. Very interesting is the protective mechanism of these animals, it deserves special attention. By nature, the possum is very shy and at risk he pretends to be dead, lying motionless, and with the help of special glands gives off an unpleasant smell reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing body. Predator, sniffing it, often leaves. After this, the animal instantly “comes to life” and runs away. I must say that such tactics bring great success for the survival of the species. Still these animals are notable sony, they can sleep up to 19 hours a day.
According to scientists, in prehistoric times, these animals were very widespread in the whole of modern Europe, this is evidenced by the excavation of paleontologists. Now opossums are actively thriving in the New World. Glaciers and the related cooling of the climate these territories affected less than Europe. The most common opossums in the Americas, Argentina, but recently they are actively developing more northern territories. They also live in the southeast of Canada and the Lesser Antilles.
Opossums live in forests of all types, steppes and even semi-deserts. They can occur both in the plains and in the mountainous regions at altitudes of up to 4000 meters. There are species that lead a semi-aquatic life, settling near water bodies, building holes in tree hollows. But most of them still have a tree or land way of life.
