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.
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.
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.
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.
American ( overwhelmingly South American ) opossums.
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
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.
Obviously, the Noble Creature is preparing to defend her from a vicious dog.