Opossum Didelph'is I'irgin'iana I'irt/lniana 



the nipples, to which the young attach themselves and 

 hold fast until development has advanced considerably. 

 After the eyes are open, and after a coat of fine silken 

 hair has appeared on the bodies of the young, they 

 occasionally leave the pouch and crawl about over the 

 body of the mother, clinging to her hair with their tiny 

 handlike fore feet. Sometimes, as the mother roams 

 about, she may be seen with her tail thrown up over 

 her back and the little ones arranged in a row with 

 their tails wrapped about that of the parent. 



The Virginia opossum is the largest of a large 

 assortment of species of Marsupials, most of which are 

 indigenous to Central and South America. It has a 

 rather heavy coat of hair which is of a dirty gray color, 

 and often the hairs are tipped with black. The face is 

 usually lighter in color and the snout is long and 



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