The water possum is a marsupial rat inhabiting the water

When a person hears the word "rat", then the association that arises in the imagination does not seem pleasant. Of course, this is not about all people, but about the overwhelming majority, because there are those who adore these creatures of nature. So, with the word "rat", the brain draws an unpleasant little animal with a sharp face, a wet nose, similar to a button, and a long tail, on which there is absolutely no hair. And if you need to present opossum, then, most likely, many people in memory will pop up a picture of animals from the cartoon "Ice Age". These characters are not so nasty, unlike the aforementioned ones. Now try to imagine a combination of the listed creatures, moreover with an incredible ability to live in an aquatic environment. Who will succeed? The answer is simple - a water opossum, which will be discussed below.

Who is this floating animal?

Before presenting today's hero, it must be said that it is rarely enough to be found. In our latitudes this opossum does not live at all, but prefers the South and some parts of Central America, Mexico and Argentina. From this it becomes clear that the animal is very thermophilic. The animals were given the nickname "Yapok" due to the fact that they once inhabited the banks of the river Oyapok, which is in French Guiana. The water possum is a rat, but not simple, but marsupial, and even waterfowl. By the way, this is the only representative of the order of mammals, which has the ability to live in water.

Description of the waterfowl opossum

Floating marsupial rat is not quite small: body length can reach 40 cm, and weigh an unusual animal capable of up to 3 kg. The tail is the same as that of an ordinary rat - bald. In length, it is correlated with the body of a mammal, in some cases exceeds its size by several cm. The color of the woolen coat of the water possum is gray in large black spots or vice versa. By the way, in waterfowl animals wool has a kind of coating that can repel water, and our hero is no exception.

What does the water possum eat?

Marsupial waterfowl prefer to eat snails, small crayfish and fish, which are fairly professionally caught with their webbed feet. However, catching prey, the mammal is selected from the water, so as not to rush to taste the catch. Hunt animals prefer in the dark, in pitch darkness.

Since water opossums spend most of the time in the water, then, of course, they are great swimmers: mammals use hind legs as fins and tail as a helm. It should be said that all water floating rats, called opossums, without exception, both females and males are endowed with a bag. However, the female bag is airtight, and the males do not. It is used by them to hide the scrotum in it, while in the water. Sometimes, for the same purpose, the bag is also used on land, for example, when a small animal runs quickly over tall grass. While on land, water opossums use some types of algae and sweet fruits of fruit trees as food. They build holes also above the water, more often from leaves that are carried by the tail. A place for home is chosen solitary: under driftwood or in the roots of trees.