possums
Nocturnal trash pandas
Possums are marsupials found in Australia, New Zealand, and nearby regions—furry, tree-dwelling animals with prehensile tails.
In American usage, possum typically refers to the opossum, a different marsupial native to the Americas.
To play possum is to feign death or unconsciousness, as opossums do when threatened.
Pouch-bearing mammal
- nocturnalActive during darkness
- ringtailSmall masked procyonid
- arborealOf or in trees
- prehensileAdapted for grasping
pouch · joey · omnivore · scavenger · nest · hollow · tree · climbing
Faking death as defense
- hissingSharp sss sound
- freezingExtremely cold
- defensiveProtective or easily threatened
- feigningPretending to feel something
survival · instinct · predator · escape · startled · cornered · immobile · limp
Outdoor space behind home
- roofBuilding's protective top
- atticSpace beneath the roof
- garbageDiscarded waste material
- pestHarmful creature or nag
nuisance · coexistence · suburban · garden · fruit trees · compost · bird feeder · trapping
Vehicle-struck animal remains
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- hillbillyRural mountain dweller stereotype
- SouthernOf the region below
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
hunting · trapping · traditional · indigenous · dreamtime · totemic
marsupial
Pouch-bearing mammal
prehensile · pouch · joey · omnivore · scavenger · nest · hollow · tree · climbing · foraging
playing dead
Faking death as defense
feigning · survival · instinct · predator · escape · startled · cornered · immobile · limp · drooling
backyard
Outdoor space behind home
pest · nuisance · coexistence · suburban · garden · fruit trees · compost · bird feeder · trapping · relocation
roadkill
Vehicle-struck animal remains
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- hillbillyRural mountain dweller stereotype
- SouthernOf the region below
Appalachian · hunting · trapping · traditional · indigenous · dreamtime · totemic
- mammalsbears, bats, sheep, cats, anteater
- warm-bloodedmammals, birds, dogs, cats, humans
- rainforestrainforest, jungle, tropical, tropics, canopy
- Australian mammalskangaroos, koalas, wombats, wallabies, echidnas
- Australian wildlifekangaroo, koala, platypus, echidna, wombat
- island wildlifemarine iguana, Darwin's finches, Galapagos tortoise, giant tortoise, giant tortoises
- play possumFake death or sleep
- playing possumFaking death defensively
- played possumPretended to be dead