Urban Wildlife

I have a possum. An opossum. Whatever. This picture is not my possum, but some random internet possum. Looks like mine, though.

Yesterday morning I pulled into my driveway around 7:45, just in time to see a creature run out from under my neighbor's house, across the driveway and under my house. WTF??????

We have lots of cats in the neighborhood. It was not a cat. The last thing I saw was a rat-like tail slinking under my house. Not a cat. But not a rat - too big. And furry. Not a cat - too round.

So I went inside and forgot about it. I mean, we've had raccoons around here through the years. One time I had a family of four living in my garage; that is, until the mama got her paw stuck in the door and then moved the family out once she got free.

This morning, getting ready for work, I let Checkers out (she's a Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mix.) Normally she will go out, do her thing, sniff around a little, and come on in. She stayed out longer than usual so I went out on the deck looking for her. And there she is in the back corner of the backyard sniffing what looks like a dead cat. No! Can't be!

I called her off and walked, cautiously, over to check it out. It's a possum. He (she?) was curled up as if sleeping, rat-like tail curled around him. The long, pointed snout sort of surprised me; I've never actually seen a possum up close. But then I had to figure out what to do about it. I wasn't thrilled about a dead possum in my yard.

I decided to wait for Steve to come and let him bury it. Meanwhile, my dog smelled like dead possum.

Of course, by now you have figured out he was not really dead - just playing possum. When I went back out a few minutes later he was gone. Gone! A little online research and I learned that possums will emit a putrid odor while playing dead which is why my dog smelled bad.

So where is possum now? I have no idea. What I read said that they won't usually attack, but I saw pictures of some terribly unfriendly looking possums. I just hope if Checkers finds him again, he decides to play dead again.

At the Birdfeeder

Let's Go To Madagascar

Is this not the cutest creature EVER?! Time Magazine wrote this week about the efforts to save the wildlife in Madagascar and the pictures just drew me in.

Did you know that lemurs are only found on the African island nation of Madagascar? And did you know that the vast majority of Madagascar's 2,300 species are found ONLY there and nowhere else? Time reports that vast deforestation and climate change have already "pushed countless species out of existence" and that of the "surviving 71 lemur species and subspecies...63% are endangered." Lemurs are adorable; and it seems that they have incredible eyesight and "an unmistakable smell."

Conservation efforts are ongoing; villagers have been hired to help plant new trees. At present, more conservation money is pouring into Madagascar than any other place in Africa. Many organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, are involved.

It's not just the wildlife that is in danger, either. It's the trees and plant life, too. These great baobab trees fascinate me. Some of these trees are reported to be a thousand years old but it's hard to tell because their trunks don't produce the rings that most trees do. The trees serve practical purposes; the leaves are edible either fresh or as a dried powder. The tree also produces a fruit, sometimes called "monkey-bread" which has more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than cow's milk.

I'd love to pack my camera and go check it out!

(Image credits: Time.com)