The smallest opossum in our care right now Gaping in opossums, is a defense mechanism where they open their mouths wide to show their 50 teeth, accompanied by hissing and growling, to bluff and scare away predators like humans, rather than to attack. It's a display of fear and intimidation, even seen in babies before they have teeth, signaling "stay away" as part of their survival strategy, which also includes playing dead Opossums have 50 teeth, which is more than any other land mammal in North

Too many teeth. Naked tail. Hissing in the dark. You think it's a giant, dirty rat. A monster under your porch. Meet the unsung hero of your backyard. 🌙 THE OPOSSUM: 🎯 Eats up to 5,000 ticks PER SEASON → The same ticks that give you Lyme disease 🐍 Immune to snake venom → They EAT copperheads and rattlesnakes 🧬 Almost NEVER get rabies → Their body temperature is too low for the virus to survive 😱 That terrifying hissing? → It's a bluff. They're absolutely terrified of YOU. → They have 50 tee