For Kids - Meet Our Animals

Erin & Lily

THEIR STORY
Erin and Lily are the Zoo's opossums. Lily was one of a litter of three opossums brought to the Alexandria Zoo. She stayed at the Zoo while her brother and sister were released back into the wild. Erin was found in the Zoo parking lot.

ABOUT OPOSSUMS
Opossums are nocturnal and live in the wooded areas of eastern United States and adjacent Canada, west to central Texas and south to Central America.

The opossum is the only marsupial in North America. Newborn opossums are smaller than a dime. With barely developed front legs they crawl up through their mother's belly fur and into her pouch. They stay in the pouch for about 2 months. Once they come out of the pouch, they will ride on their mother's back for about a month as they learn to become opossums.

Opossums have a prehensile tail, which means their tails act like a fifth hand to grip tree branches. Their front and hind feet have opposable thumbs which help them walk on tree branches better.

WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?
An opossum will eat just about anything, including carion (food that is already dead). At the Zoo, Erin and Lily get fed a diet of canned fruits and vegetables, fresh apples, oranges, and bananas, dried cat food, and occasionally boiled eggs. However, their favorite food is chicken, which they are fed as a treat sometimes.

PLAYING POSSUM
When opossums are threatened or frightened, they may bluff by hissing, screeching, and showing their teeth to scare off predators. If the predator is much larger, then the opossum can "play dead." No matter what the attacker does, the opossum just lies motionless. It does not always work because a few carnivores like to eat carion. However, when it is a larger animal that is only interested in protecting its territory or young, "playing dead" works well. The larger animal usually just walks away.

WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM?
Erin and Lily stay in the Zoo's Animal House and are used as animal ambassadors.

Click here to learn more about opossums.