Tag: opossum

Not buddies

On By CarynIn Wildlife

I collected the trail came videos from the last three weeks and realized that I need to collect them more often. There were 1,000 photos on one card and 4,000 on the other. Yikes. Mostly known cats, then a smaller percentage of opossums, raccoons, deer, and an armadillo.

I kept seeing pairings of raccoon and opossum photos, so I selected those for download.

Photo description: night vision view of a raccoon and opossum on a small wood porch

While not fighting enemies, these two aren’t friends either.

Photo description: same two animals, opossum has its mouth open

Still, they occupied the porch together circulating around the bowls looking for snacks for over ten minutes.

Odd couples

On By CarynIn Cats, Wildlife

I’ve had a few interesting interactions caught on the trail cam of unexpected pairs.

Photo description: night vision trail cam photo of a raccoon on a bench and a tabby cat walking on the nearby porch. The cat spotted the raccoon and slipped on by.
Photo description: night vision trail cam photo of two opossums, which is unusual because they are solitary. As soon as the one on the ground noticed the one on the bench, the moment was over and it left.
Photo description: night vision trail cam photo of an opossum on the coop porch and a raccoon on hind legs looking at it. The opossum actually held its ground, but the raccoon didn’t care. The raccoon got onto the porch, checked for snacks, then left, all while the opossum huddled against the door.
Photo description: night vision trail cam photo of an opossum on the ground, and a short haired black cat stepping down off the porch. The cat carefully navigated around the opossum.

I have my trail cam set to take photos every three seconds when there is movement, so the shots on either side of the ones I selected above told me the story. I chose the most representative photo to share.

From this set of data, it seems the raccoons are top, then opossums, and then the cats come in last, giving the others wide berth.

Standoff

On By CarynIn Cats, Uncategorized, Wildlife

It has been while since I checked trail cams. Mostly the SD cards were full of cats, raccoons, and opossums, but there was a series of photos where an opossum was investigating the cat food when a cat came along.

Photo description: night vision view of a back step off the coop with a young opossum, back to the camera, and a black short haired cat, facing the camera

The result was a no-contest. The cat went straight to the bowl of the food on the cat box, away from the opossum, and when the cat settled in to eat and not attack, the opossum left. I’m pretty sure the cat is the one we call Greebo, who has scars from fighting and his fur is thinned with some kind of mange. He actually looks healthier since he joined the neighborhood colony. The last couple years he and Fang show up in the Fall and then head out again in Spring or Summer.

Oh possible ID

On By CarynIn Wildlife

I think I’m seeing three different opossums on the trail cam closest to the coop.

Photo description: opossum #1, smaller, darker, head narrower
Photo description: opossum #2 thicker, lighter in color, larger through the jowl and neck
Photo description: opossum #3, oh dude, you look like you’ve been through the wringer and seen some stuff, could this be a geriatric opossum?

I had to look up the lifespan of a wild opossum: 2 years. So a three-year-old opossum would be elderly. Now I’ll be watching for another glimpse of them.

I am pleased that my new trail cams give me enough resolution to identify individuals.

Trail cameras

On By CarynIn Wildlife

Ooo! My folks gave me two trail cams! My old camera died after seven years of use, and I haven’t had a peek into the wildlife in the back woods for a while. I set one camera up by the back of the coop, and the other where I was getting deer pictures before, a little ways into the woods. I set the cameras on the trail setting, which I love. Mostly what I am getting is pictures of the meadow cats, the semi-feral outdoor cats that hang out between my neighbors’ house and mine, but I did get an interesting time line of a couple of opossums.

Then sequence of photos shows a larger, lighter opossum approaching a smaller, darker opossum. The first thing my eldest noticed on seeing the photos was that the opossum on the left doesn’t have eye shine on its left eye, a possible injury indicating blindness in that eye, maybe? I’ve seen both these critters on the new trail cam individually. Opossums are reported to be solitary, only coming together to mate in late winter early spring, so it is unlikely these two are buddies. I am interested to see if I get any more glimpses of the two together.