36 Nebraskaland • January-February 2024
prehensile. A prehensile tail is adapted for grasping and
wrapping around things like tree limbs. Although it is a
myth opossums hang by their tails to sleep, they can grasp
a branch with their tails for short periods of time. Their tails
simply aren't strong enough to hold them for longer than a
few minutes.
Opossum Feet
These animals have what's called an opposable hallux.
Hallux are clawless, big toes that work like thumbs. The
hallux helps this creature grab branches when they climb. So,
when they leave tracks in the snow, it looks like a miniature
child, or an alien, was walking around the prairie.
They're Intelligent
Opossum brains are only around one-sixth the size of a
raccoon and one-fi fth the size of a domestic house cat, giving
them one of the lowest brain-to-body ratios of any mammal.
They also have a very smooth brain, lacking the network of
folds and grooves seen in more "intelligent species." They lack
a structure known as the corpus callosum, which connects
the two halves of the brain. The corpus callosum is larger in
more intelligent animals, and in humans, the absence of this
structure would be considered a serious birth defect and is
associated with a high rate of learning disabilities.
Despite all this, opossums excel at intelligence tests. In
one study, scientists hid food for opossums to fi nd, and
their ability to remember was higher than cats, rats, dogs
and rabbits. In another study, opossums demonstrated they
can solve maze puzzles faster than cats and rats. Scientists
have also documented the opossum's ability to recall specifi c
smells a full year after being exposed to them.
Rare for Rabies
Any mammal can get rabies, but it is less likely for
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) from the viviparous quadrupeds of North America (1845) illustrated by John Woodhouse
Audubon (1812-1862). NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
