Virginia opossum

The Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is the only marsupial that lives north of Mexico and the northernmost marsupial in the world, ranging from southern Canada down to northern Costa Rica. It is a solitary, nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, with a pointed white face, a dull grayish-brown coat and a long, hairless, prehensile tail. It is an opportunist that eats almost anything, from insects, carrion, eggs and small vertebrates to fruit, acorns and the scraps found around houses, and it is often seen near settled areas for that reason. When badly frightened it may feign death, the behavior behind the phrase playing possum. Females carry newborns the size of a honeybee in a pouch, and the young later ride on the mother's back. Life in the wild is short, with a maximum of about two years.