The Opossum in American History :
The opossum was the first marsupial discovered by the Europeans in the late 1400s by the Spanish explorer Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (commander of Christopher Columbus ship, the Niña) and presented it at court to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the Spanish monarchs that ruled Spain at this time. In the early 1600s Captain John Smith of the Jamestown colony wrote the first English description of this marsupial and called it an opossum the anglicized algonquin name appaum.

Additional opossum facts:
the opossum is the only marsupial native to the United States
the opossum is has the shortest gestation period of any mammal which lasts for only about 12 ½ days
opossums do not have a vaginal birth but are born through a special birth canal
the long, naked rat-like tail of the opossum is prehensile
its hind foot is shaped like a tiny human hand
opossums also are well known for feigning death or  playing possum
the jaws of the opossum contain fifty teeth, more than most other mammals
opossums are not affected by snake bite or venom from bees, wasps or spiders
Opossum Information
Kingdom: Animalia 
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Theria
Infraclass: Metatheria
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Didelphis
Species: virginiana

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Opossum Links to Visit
 www.enature.com
 www.opossum.org/
 www.opossumsocietyus.org/Book.htmlhttp://astore.amazon.com/opossums-20http://astore.amazon.com/opossums-20http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0062http://www.opossum.orghttp://www.opossum.org/http://www.opossumsocietyus.orgshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6
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