What Is The Difference Between A Possum And An Opossum

The opossum is primarily dark gray in color but some resemble cinnamon and as in heidi s case white opossums are known to exist.

The possum and the opossum are both hunted animals and possess an instinct to play dead or play possum when threatened. Opossum can be pronounced with its first syllable either voiced or silent. Furthermore a visually identifiable difference between possum and opossum is that the possum has a fleshy tail covered with fur while opossum has a rat like fur less tail. The possum is primarily gray in color.

Opossums are always omnivorous animals whereas possums are generally herbivorous and sometimes omnivorous. Opossum are smaller in size while possum are large. The ears of a possum are larger than that of the virginia opossum and their fur is softer and much more bushy. Opossums have a bare tail while possums have bushy hairy tail.

Both animals are marsupials and their snouts feet and eyes are similar. However the word without the o refers to something very different outside of north america. While possum is sometimes a synonym of opossum it can also refer to a completely different species that. Opossums are relatively smaller than possums with their lengths averaging between 3 and 22 inches while their weight ranges between 1 and 10 pounds.

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Their fur is very coarse. In technical or scientific contexts opossum is preferred. Possum tend to be longer while opossum are shorter in terms of length. Their bodies are generally grayish white while both feet and ears are black.

In common use possum is the usual term. The key differentiator however is the australian possum has a bushy tail covered in fur hence the name. Opossum have longer snout while possum has a shorter snout. The color of opossums is generally between pure white and black.

Both possum and opossum correctly refer to the virginia opossum frequently seen in north america. Opossums range in north america while possums range in oceania.