> The Virginia opossum is a true > marsupial with a well developed pouch. It is the only > North American marsupial. There are several in South > America, which at one point, was attached to Australia > and floating free in the Pacific ocean until they > separated and S. America joined N. America via Central America.
I find it amazing that both raccoons and opossums (neither of which are native to north america) have done so will on this continent. As many of these critters as you say, it's hard to believe that they're not from "'round these parts". But the further north you go, the more evident it becomes when you study these animals that they are not "made" for north american winters. You can see very ugly signs of frostbite and remnants of harsh winters all over them (ears, tails, and extremities in particular)... or maybe I'm just getting too damn close <g>. Armadillos are a distant third in the successful migration to N.A. category... but it seems like more and more of them are making their way thru the south east. I was totally amazed at how many of these I saw on the highway while driving from GA to LA about a month ago.
