Virginia opossum
A kind of opossum · also called North American opossum, possum
3 views: its portrait, and how it looks in the comparison photos.
About
The Virginia opossum is a cat-sized nocturnal marsupial native to North America with a stout body and long tail.
As North America's only native marsupial, it is considerably larger than most of its South American cousins. Adult males are typically heavier and longer than females, though weights across wild populations vary based on food supply and season. Individuals can nearly double their body weight in autumn by packing on fat to survive cold winters. Although often mistaken for an oversized rodent, its skeleton and skull structure are distinct from true rats.
From Wikipedia
The Virginia opossum, also known as the North American opossum, is a member of the opossum family found from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica, making it the northernmost marsupial in the world. Commonly referred to simply as the possum, it is a solitary nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and a successful opportunist.
Read more on Wikipedia →Text from Wikipedia’s “Virginia opossum” article, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Every comparison with a Virginia opossum
2 on the site
Questions people ask
- How big is a Virginia opossum?
- A Virginia opossum is about 30 inches (0.75 m) long, stands 10 inches (0.25 m) tall, and weighs roughly 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg). That puts it at roughly the same weight and build as a standard house cat.
- How much space does a Virginia opossum take up?
- About 14.8 cups (3.5 L), the volume of its body.
Weight
7.72 lb (3.5 kg)
- Space it takes up
- 14.8 cups (3.5 L)
- Length
- 29.5 in (75 cm)
- Height
- 9.84 in (25 cm)
Quick answer
A Virginia opossum is about 30 inches (0.75 m) long, stands 10 inches (0.25 m) tall, and weighs roughly 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg). That puts it at roughly the same weight and build as a standard house cat.
Typical figures, the same ones every comparison on the site uses; real ones vary.
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