16 Difference between Opossum and Possum(With Table)

Jan 31, 2023 · 4 min read ·

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Marsupials belong to a mammal group. They are divided into the American marsupials and the Australian marsupials. These subdivisions have distinctive features.

The American marsupials are found in North, South, and Central America. Examples of the American marsupials are the opossums and shrew opossums.

The Australian marsupials are found in Australia and New Guinea. They tend to be quite intelligent when compared to American marsupials.

Examples of Australian marsupials are kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, quolls, wombats, numbats, possums, marsupial moles, and bandicoots.

A lot of people tend to use opossum and possum interchangeably but this tends to be quite wrong. If you are a student pursuing animal biology then you are in the right place.

So, what is the main difference between opossum and possum? An opossum is a marsupial mammal with a white face and is mostly found in North America while opossum is a marsupial mammal with a round face and is mainly found in Native Australia.

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Comparison Table between Opossum and Possum (In Tabular Form)

Basic Terms	Opossum	Possum
Definition	It is a marsupial mammal that inhabits North America	It is a marsupial mammal that inhabits Native Australia
Family	Didelphidae	Phalangeridae
Food	Eat dead things with plants	Eat fruits and leaves
Geographic Location	North, South, and Central America	Native Australia and New Guinea
Dwelling	Live on trees	Live on both land and trees
Size	Tend to be longer since they measure 3 to 22 inches in length	Tend to be shorter since they measure 3 inches to 4 feet in length
Weight	Weigh about 1 to 11 pounds	Weigh about 6 ounces to 32 pounds.
Appearance of snout	Have long snout	Have small snout
Appearance of tail	A bare or rat-like tail	Have a bushy and black tail
Shape of face	Elongated face	Long and round face
Physical Appearance	Very scary looking	Less scary looking
Climate Conditions	Colder conditions with ice and snow	Subtropical conditions
Body-color	Whiteface with greyish white body	Have several colors such as black, chinchilla, gray, silver-gray, and gold
Camouflage	Play dead when threatening	Cannot play dead
Intelligence	Not smart	Quite smart
Dangerous	Very dangerous	Not dangerous

What Is Opossum?

The opossum is a marsupial mammal that inhabits North, South, and Central America. They belong to the family of Didelphidae.

The marsupials have sharp teeth like those of the cats and they have a bare rat-like tail. They have scary looking but they do an amazing task of eating ticks and many other vermin.

The most wonderful thing is that they do not have rabies. They carry the virus which can be lethal to horses and even kill small chickens.

If you are a horse owner and chicken farmer then stay away from petting opossums. You can consult experts on how to pet opossums and still keep horses and chickens on the same farm.

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What Is Possum?

Possum is a marsupial mammal that inhabits Native Australia and New Guinea. They normally occur in different colors such as black, silver-grey, brown, and gold.

The marsupial mammals belong to the family of Phalangeridae and they have a close similarity to American opossums. They are widely kept as pets in Australia and some parts of the world.

The mammals have a bush tail that looks like that of a large chinchilla. They have larger ears and smooth fur all over their body. Possums tend to play dead when threaten.

Possums feed on birds’ eggs, insects, leaves, flowers, shoots, fruits, and seeds among many others. The physical appearance of possums makes them ideal for being kept as exotic pets.

Main Difference between Possum and Opossum in Point Form

The opossum is marsupials that inhabit North America while the possum is marsupials that inhabit Native Australia.

Possum belong to the family of Phalangeridae while opossum belong to the family of Didelphidae

The diet of the opossum is eating dead things and plants while possum is eating fruits, leaves, and plants

Opossums are smaller in size while possums are large

Possum tend to be longer while opossums are shorter in terms of length

The opossum has a longer snout while possum has a shorter snout

Opossum have bare rat-like tail while possum has a bushy tail

Opossum have elongated face while possum have long and round face

Opossum prefer colder conditions marked with ice and snow while possum prefer subtropical condition

Opossum have scary looking while possum is less scary

The opossum has a white face with a greyish-white body while the possum has a variation of colors such as black, chinchilla grey, silver-grey, and gold

Possum has high intelligence while opossum are less smarter

Opossum play dead when threatening while possum does not play dead

Opossum are more dangerous than possum

Possum Vs Opossum: Comparison Video

Conclusion

Both opossum and possum are marsupial mammals. But they are scientifically and technically different animals. If you are looking for something that can get rid of the pest in your yard then consider petting opossum. However, they have a virus that can be lethal to horses and chickens.

The core difference between possum and opossum is that possum is found in Native Australia and New Guinea while opossums are inhabitants of North America.

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More Sources and References

Facts about Opossums and Possums. Pest Wiki.

Emily Petsko. All about Possum and Opossum. Mental Floss.

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