Oh, and happy Ides of March! Should have asked something related to that, but I think I have done that before. :)

Cynthia

Wow! It must be a really tiny mammal.

OK, so mammal, if I remember anything means live birth. Sound fishy to me!! - but I could be way off base.

Nancy.

Not so small, actually and not big swimmers as far as I know. Very cool, though. Here is another fascinating thing: they are immune to the stings of honeybees and scorpions and to toxins such as botulism and rattlesnake venom.

Cynthia

Oh and should have added that I am glad you both checked in here today!

OK, I was thinking sea-horses - apparently not! Re-adjusting thinking cap.

Nancy.

Hmmmmmmm, several things have popped into my head but I don't think they fit the bill.
Annette

These animals have a remarkable capacity to find food and remember where it was found, beating out rats, rabbits, dogs, and cats at that task. Also better than rats and cats at mazes!

Cynthia

Ahh, think I have a clue now. Going down for break and a cheeseboard, perhaps.

Nancy.

Wild guess -- Are they naked?

TM

Fossil records trace the ancestral origins back 65 million years to the period just after the dinosaurs' extinction.

Oh and as we head into summer, you might like these around. Based on studies, it appears that a single one of these might kill as many as 4,000 ticks in a week!

I actually think they are cute, but most people don't.

Cynthia

Oh, TM, hairless when born and their tails are naked always. That should give it to you!

....cheeseboard sounds good, peanut butter on a rye crisp sounds good too.

Annette

This critter would eat any and all of those. He/she will eat just about anything actually. They are the only of their kind in North America. I found a young one in my yard several years ago and took it to the animal welfare league here. I hope it survived. Guess it fell off mom. I haven't seen any lately. The raccoons are so aggressive and nasty that they drive them away. Could be that our coyote eats them. :(

Cynthia

Oh oh, I was on the wrong track, have a totally different thought now, is this animal hunted in some states?
Annette

I think so, but no one ever made a fur cap from them. Annabel treed one her first evening here at our house. Poor thing. She had been very well trained, I think. Or she had been so hungry out in the wild that she learned to just sit still and silently at the bottom of the tree forever. If she had lain down, I would have thought she was dead, she was that still. I wonder if they ever finally fell out.

Cynthia

is there a connection between this animal and the title of T. S. Eliot's book of practical cats?

"Guess it fell off mom" is the clue that gave me my Aha got it moment :).

Annette

Well, I now realize that I was completely wrong. sigh. Maybe something to play?

Nancy.

These critters have only recently begun moving into my area - there range didn't previously reach this far north. Most adults have damaged ears or tails from frostbite around here since they are hairless.

Nice job, all. Four stars for Annette, Nancy, TM, and NHBabs (welcome to the group!). TM, your clue/reference was great! Yes indeed-opossum is the answer. The April/May National Wildlife magazine has a wonderful article on these sweeties. I wanted to link the article, but the website seems to be behind the print version. I do find that odd! If it shows up on their website, I will link it later.

Have a marvelous week.

Cynthia, who is glad most everyone checked the forum on Sunday!

Fun question, Cynthia. I get it now; being a marsupial explains the short gestation. I know we have possums around here, but I almost never see one or think of them. I used to do some hunting and got called to a neighbor's house once in the winter to dispatch a poor old possum whose feet were frozen solid -- very sad.

Thanks for the random fun.

TM

I have been unable to sign in while using my I-Pad but followed along on this question and knew the answer was opossum. Remembered this one from when my kid was small. Had family in Australia then and we learned about

kangaroos and other marsupials. Think I have only seen one opossum which was in the neighborhood a few years ago. Probably others are still around.

I like random trivia questions.

Yea Bobbie! Stars for you, too. Thanks for popping in!