According to World Animal Protection, opossums are some of the most misunderstood animals in the United States. Having originated in South America with over 100 different species, they are not always considered cute and cuddly, yet these creatures are unbelievably important to our ecosystems.
Heartbreakingly, due to many dangers, opossums usually live only one to two years. Very often, these animals are hit by cars and left on the side of the road. Sadly, the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue got to witness one of these accidents when, earlier this year, they found a litter of helpless babies next to their fatally injured mom.
More info: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
A litter of baby opossums lost their mom but the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue team came up with an adorable way to comfort them
Image credits: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
The adult opossum had collided with a vehicle and passed away, leaving a bunch of scared little babies alone.
"It has only been two days since we found them on the side of the road. They were still clinging to their deceased mother," the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue team wrote on their social media at the time. "She had been hit by a car and they remained helpless without her," they added.
The rescue team was heartbroken but had to separate the babies from their late mother since the little opossums were relatively healthy and had a chance to survive.
Despite their sad story, the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue found a way to comfort the litter. The wild animal rehabilitation facility not only took care of the babies in an incubator with a nutrient-rich feeding plan but also gave them a plushy mom to cling to.
"These baby opossums love being able to simulate what they would have been doing with their mother if they weren’t orphans," the rescue team later shared, noting that the litter adores draping themselves across their plushy mom's back and snuggling into her fur.
It took some time until the baby opossums were strong and big enough to be released into nature, but the entire time they were at the facility, the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue's efforts definitely helped this little adorable crew.
"I bet mom would be so happy to know her babies are safe and being taken care of," the rescue team shared.
Image credits: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
Image credits: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
Speaking about opossums, not everyone knows that these animals are related to kangaroos and koalas, since they are marsupials, and their babies stay in their pouches for up to three months.
Opossums have many interesting features and their 50 teeth are definitely one of them. That's more than any North American land mammal!
They have a natural tolerance for snake venom and eat parasitic ticks as well as garden pests; therefore, opossums are often called 'Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineers'.
While opossums may appear unkempt, they are actually incredibly clean animals, as they love self-grooming with their tongues and paws.
As for their paws, just like humans and other primates, opossums have the equivalent of opposable thumbs which are called hallux, which stand apart from the other toes in a way that looks very similar to a human hand and its thumb. The hallux not only provides the opossums with better grasping and climbing skills than most other mammals, but it's also clawless, unlike the opossums' other digits.
Little orphaned babies seemed to love their new plushy mom and were constantly snuggling into her fur
Image credits: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
Image credits: Newhouse Wildlife Rescue / Facebook
"Nothing prepares you for an opossum. They have a face only a mother could love. Really, they are such a weird looking animal," psychologist and biologist Suzanne MacDonald once said.
They are definitely not traditionally cute and are often mistaken for very large rats, but they're actually vital members of nature’s cleanup crew since opossums truly help us by eliminating diseases from carcasses and food waste that could otherwise be spread.
Unfortunately, many opossums lose their lives each year being hit by cars on the road, therefore, the Opossum Society of the United States (OSUS) suggests that people drive slower at night to leave more time to react if an opossum crosses the street.
People's hearts were broken by seeing such little babies lose their mom, but netizens were also thankful to the rescue team for taking care of the orphaned opossums with so much love
