# Opossums--spawn of evil, or adorably cute? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677 "2011-02-17T06:08:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/61 "2011-02-18T20:23:39Z")
I’m only really familiar with the American possum so I voted based on that. It’s one of the ugliest animals I’ve ever seen. They all look and act like they’re rabid. I would say it’s the mammalian equivalent of a cockroach. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/62 "2011-02-19T10:54:50Z")
I only know the american ones but I think they’re cute. But then, I think almost all animals are cute. Maybe not mole rats, or sphinx cats, but most of them. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/63 "2011-02-22T03:12:19Z")
Aren’t possums and opossums separate species? ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/64 "2011-02-22T04:08:38Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Aren’t possums and opossums separate species? Nope. The “O” is usually added in the pro-opossum crowd, and neglected in the anti-opossum crowd. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/65 "2011-02-22T11:54:19Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Nope. The “O” is usually added in the pro-opossum crowd, and neglected in the anti-opossum crowd. Maybe I should say, are they different from brush-tail possums in Australia? They sure look different. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/66 "2011-02-22T12:27:01Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Maybe I should say, are they different from brush-tail possums in Australia? They sure look different. Yes. Different orders, as well as species. Australian [possums](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum). American ( overwhelmingly South American ) [opossums](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum). The confusion comes from the common American habit of dropping the “o” in opossum. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/67 "2011-02-22T13:14:09Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > The confusion comes from the common American habit of dropping the “o” in opossum. Actually, I suspect that it was the antipodean efficiency in dropping the “o” that has led to the distinction between western and eastern hemispheres. When I was a kid in NZ in the 70s, opossum and possum were both used, but the balance has swung to possum. Si ---
**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/68 "2011-02-22T17:52:06Z")
I placed a vote for both. Baby possums are rather cute, in this guy’s opinion, but I’m almost convinced that baby possums are separate creatures altogether from their adult counterparts. Those things are straight out of the bowels of hell. ETA: American here, talking about opossums, although I obviously never add the “o” at the beginning of the word, normally. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/69 "2011-02-25T17:35:55Z")
[The last word?](http://i.imgur.com/MuTZI.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677/70 "2011-02-25T17:47:08Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > [The last word?](http://i.imgur.com/MuTZI.jpg) Obviously, the Noble Creature is preparing to defend her from a vicious dog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opossums-spawn-of-evil-or-adorably-cute/571677.md?page=3)