A Thief in the Night

by Betty LaRue

Title

A Thief in the Night

Artist

Betty LaRue

Medium

Photograph - Digital Art Photograph

Description

This is a juvenile Opossum, found eating fruit at night in a crabapple tree in my back yard, in a suburban Oklahoma City, Oklahoma neighborhood.
This half-grown youngster just froze, or "played possum" when I shined a light upon it. Their demeanor, the few times I've seen one, seem very calm.
This image was treated with a texture along with a digital process.
Virginia opossums, otherwise known as North American Apossums, Ddidelphis viginiana, can vary considerably in size, with larger specimens found to the north of the opossum's range and smaller specimens in the tropics. They measure 13�37 inches (35�94 cm) long from their snout to the base of the tail, with the tail adding another 8.5�19 inches (21.6�47 cm).
Weight for males ranges from 1.7 to 14 pounds (0.8�6.4 kg) and for females from 11 ounces to 8.2 pounds (0.3�3.7 kg).
They are one of the world's most variably sized mammals, since a large male from northern North America weighs about 20 times as much as a small female from the tropics. Their coats are a dull grayish brown, other than on their faces, which are white.
Opossums have long, hairless, prehensile tails, which can be used to grab branches and carry small objects. They also have hairless ears and a long, flat nose. Opossums have 50 teeth, the most out of any North American mammal, and opposable, clawless thumbs on their rear limbs.

Uploaded

December 12th, 2012

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