The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), commonly known as the North American opossum and typically referred to in the United States as simply possum, is a species of opossum native to most of the United States and Mexico, as well as parts of Central America and southern Canada. It is the only marsupial that can be found north of Mexico. It is a solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat.
It is a successful opportunist. It is familiar to many North Americans as they frequently inhabit settled areas due to the associated proximity to food sources, notably trash cans. Opossums have lots of unique tricks for survival such as playing dead. Predators like coyotes and bobcats will try to prey upon opossums. But when they play dead, the predators will often lose interest in eating the the opossums. They will even urinate, musk, and foam at the mouth to make themselves look even more unappetizing.
The opossum is an omnivorous species; in the wild, the diet of an opossum consists of fruits, small invertebrates, carrion, eggs, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, and other small animals.