Commonly referred to simply as the possum,[7] it is a solitary nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and a successful opportunist.

[8] Its pre-European settlement range was generally as far north as Maryland; southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; Missouri and Kansas.

Areas such as Rhode Island and Waterloo Region and Simcoe County in southern Ontario rarely had sightings of opossums in the 1960s, but now have them regularly; some speculate that this is likely due to global warming causing winters to be warmer.

[11] Some people speculate the expansion into Ontario mostly occurred by opossums accidentally being transferred across the St. Lawrence, Niagara, Detroit and St. Clair rivers by motor vehicles or trains they may have climbed upon.

Small isolated populations of Opossums also occur in Eastern New Mexico and parts of Southern and Central Arizona, particularly around Tucson.

[21] The hind tracks are unusual and distinctive due to the opossum's opposable thumb, which generally prints at an angle of 90° or greater to the other fingers (sometimes near 180°).

Other animals that generally employ a pacing gait are raccoons, bears, skunks, badgers, woodchucks, porcupines, and beavers.

To appear threatening, an opossum will first bare its 50 teeth, snap its jaw, hiss, drool, and stand its fur on end to look bigger.

[24] In this inactive state it lies limp and motionless on its side, mouth and eyes open, tongue hanging out, and feet clenched.

[22] Fear can also cause the opossum to release a green fluid from its anus with a putrid odor that repels predators.

[30] A widely publicized 2009 study by the Cary Institute indicated that Virginia opossums in a laboratory setting could eat thousands of ticks per week grooming.

[33] Small animals include young rabbits, meadow voles, mice, rats, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, fish, crayfish, gastropods, and earthworms.

[40] Opossums in urban areas scavenge from bird feeders, vegetable gardens, compost piles, garbage cans, and food dishes intended for dogs and cats.

[43] Males extend their range in search of mates which puts them at greater risk of injury from motor vehicles and predators as they venture into unfamiliar territory.

[43] Females carrying young are slower moving and have to forage earlier in the evening and later into the night, also increasing their risk of injury from motor vehicles and predation.

[43] The breeding season for the Virginia opossum can begin as early as December and continue through October with most young born between February and June.

[46] The male's penis is also bifid, with two heads, and as is common in New World marsupials, the sperm pair up in the testes and only separate as they come close to the egg.

[47] Compared to other mammals, including most other marsupials except dasyuromorphians, opossums have unusually short lifespans for their size and metabolic rate.

[57] Though their open-mouth hiss when frightened is often mistaken as rabid behavior, opossums are naturally resistant to rabies due to their low body temperature.

[58] Like raccoons, opossums can be found in urban environments, where they eat pet food, rotten fruit, and human garbage.

[59][60] Research suggests that proximity to humans causes an increase in body size for opossums living in or near urban environments.

The opossum was once a favorite game animal in the United States, particularly in the southern regions which have a large body of recipes and folklore relating to it.

[62] Their past wide consumption in regions where present is evidenced by recipes available online[63] and in books such as older editions of The Joy of Cooking.

[67] Although it is widely distributed in the United States, the Virginia opossum's appearance in folklore and popularity as a food item has tied it closely to the American Southeast.

In an attempt to create another icon like the teddy bear, President William Howard Taft was tied to the character Billy Possum.

Built in the late 1920s its facade is decorated with polychrome sculptures of animals symbolizing various attributes of insurance, including a possum to represent "protection".