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Hands down, the best thing that happened to the planet Earth is the array of animals it so lovingly carries. Of course, things would be much better if humans wouldn’t interfere with their existence – however, sadly, that’s an ongoing matter that will continue being a problem for a while. Still, it’s safe to say that without animals, our existence would be much duller – as seeing their adorable faces somewhere on our feed can make our whole day or even week better.

Nowadays, it makes folks raise their eyebrows if someone says they don’t own a pet, or even worse when they are totally not interested in having one. Dogs and cats have replaced children for many families and have been great companions to those who chose to have kids. Though, when there’s no possibility of owning a pet for one reason or another, the internet comes to the rescue and does a great job of satisfying your cute-animal “cravings”. Bored Panda decided to gather the most adorable pictures of possums and opossums that will undoubtedly brighten your day.

#1 Australian Veterinary Clinic Rescues A Rare Golden Possum, People Say They Just Caught A Pikachu

Image credits: Boronia Veterinary Clinic And Animal Hospital

Many confuse possums and opossums, thinking that they’re the same animal – however, that’s not really the case, as the animals actually live in different countries. Opossums reside in North and South America, whereas possums are native to Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand and lastly China. Even though both animals are marsupials, possums are the lucky ones as they’re more closely related to kangaroos (not that it really interferes with their cuteness).

Besides, the word “opossum” is borrowed from a Powhatan language – a language that was spoken by the Virginia Algonquian tribe and in essence meant “white dog or dog-like beast”. Later on, a British botanist thought that possums looked fairly similar to opossums, which is why they were given such a similar name.

#2 Possum Tries To Steal Cat’s Food, And Cat’s Reaction Is Priceless

Image credits: MrRogers247

The animals are both nocturnal and carry their babies in a pouch, though if you look at their tails, opossums have a scaly and nearly hairless tail, whilst possums have a bushy one, almost squirrel-like. Also, possums are herbivores, meaning they are all about the greens, however opossums have a broad diet, as they’ll eat anything from fruits, to carrion meat, to cat and dog food that people mistakenly or deliberately leave on their porches.

Now, talking about their famous protective reactions, opossums usually hiss – though when they understand that this particular technique is failing, they’ll play dead. In fact, this reaction is not voluntarily and is an instinctive response.

#3 The Australian Western Pygmy Possum Is Actually One Of The Largest Pygmy Possums In The World Despite Being No Larger Than A Typical Kiwi Fruit

Image credits: Chris Jolly

#4 An Opossum Monching On Some Foods

Image credits: lolaopossum

Moreover, the confusion between the two is very much real – as the word opossum is used for more than 100 different species of marsupials across America, and the word possum is applied for a group of about 67 species found in Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. American folks often don’t realize that the name of the animal living there is opossum, causing this teeny-tiny confusion.

#5 Baby Possum Got Into Our House Last Night. This Is How We Found It This Morning

Image credits: MAStalone

#6 Friends Cat Has Adopted A Baby Possum

Image credits: notnexus

Despite all these differences and a few similarities, the animals are extremely cute, though opossums have been known to attack humans. The animals can grow up to a medium dog’s size, are lucky owners of sharp claws and also have about 50 teeth that, presumably, are just as sharp. Apart from hissing and entering the catatonic state when encountering some sort of danger, opossums will also secrete a green smelly fluid that will make the “playing dead” seem more believable.

#7 So A Family Of Opossums Walked Out In Front Of Me

Image credits: iTokki

#8 Rescued Baby Opossum

I rescued this baby opossum found in our parking lot yesterday. With the lid of the box closed we could hear her running around but whenever I opened the lid she would play dead. Here she is playing dead with a piece of food in her mouth.

Image credits: Im_The_One

Essentially saying, the animals have a great and well-thought plan of potentially saving themselves when something goes south. Moreover, even though the creatures have a bit of a reputation, they can absolutely do some good for your garden by eating all the unwanted and venomous pests – so if you see one in your neighborhood, maybe think about leaving it alone.

#9 My Step Dad Stumbled Across This Little Guy While Hunting

Image credits: Sretlaw

#10 This Rescue Opossum My Mom Met At A Nature Center

Image credits: MojitoJesus

#11 Possum Trashes Woman’s Office In Australia, Becomes A Meme

Image credits: FF_notes

#12 Owner Finds A Baby Possum Clinging On To Her Dog’s Back

Image credits: Sally Watkinson

Turns out, the animals are not only adorable but are often misjudged by us, when they’re actually quite helpful to the environment. Let us know if you’ve already happened to befriend your local possum or opossum. And now that you know about their benefits, next time you see it sticking out of your trash can, maybe give it some dog food for being so great.

#13 When Your Possum Demands And Finally Gets A Bed In Your Dresser

Image credits: juniperfoxx

#14 This Possum Being Caught Out

Image credits: 1Darkest_Knight1

#15 These Possums Live In My Window

Image credits: dsfenasni

#16 I Think That He Likes The Legos

Image credits: pinkcloyd

#17 I See Your Shoulder Cats, Is It Too Late For A Shoulder Baby Opossum?

Image credits: allyboo1620

#18 An Opossum Got Into My Buddy’s House And He Snapped A Selfie With It While He Was Carrying It Out

Image credits: reddit.com

#19 A Different Easter Bunny

Image credits: mustbeaweasley94

#20 The Possum That Visits Our Deck Every Evening Brought Along Somebody Special Last Night! Meet Deckster And Backster

Image credits: strongredcordial

#21 A Possum, Skunk, And Raccoon All Having Dinner Together! Apparently, There Was A Fox At One Point As Well! My Colleague’s Sister Took This Photo From Her Back Yard

Image credits: PlasmaReuse

#22 Australian Possum. She Found A Strawberry

Image credits: crikeyguvna

#23 Little Opie From The Rehab Center I Work At

Image credits: _Conservative_Hippy_

#24 Found A Baby Opossum In My Recycling Bin This Morning

Image credits: LovingMap

#25 Gloria The Possum

Meet Gloria. Gloria was shaking. She was terrified. And her 7, 8, 9(?) babies clung to her back and neck with all their strength. Thing is, as a nocturnal animal, Gloria shouldn’t be out during daylight. The fact that she was out in the open at 6:45AM carrying her entire family on her back means something went terribly wrong. This poor baby and her babies must have lost their safe home, and she was looking for safety… Or help. We called a vet, they recommended we call Malibu wildlife rescue. Malibu recommended we leave Gloria as-is, as long as she didn’t look injured (which she didn’t).

Image credits: vohit4rohit

#26 Cute Baby Opossum I Found In My House

Image credits: reddit.com

#27 Don’t Forget To Brush Your Teeth!

Image credits: PossumEveryHour

#28 Missing My Field Site And All Its Amazing Critters

Image credits: Amanda McLean

#29 Golden Brushtail Possum

Image credits: unoiamaQT

#30 My Friends And I Saved A Baby Ring Tail Possum! Here’s Her With The Vet

Image credits: Coragiran

#31 Possum Of The Day

Image credits: avec.possum

#32 Have A Happy Possum!

Image credits: OryxTheJimmy

#33 A Racoon, A Opossum And A Stray Cat Enjoying A Peaceful Meal

Image credits: borninthe313

#34 Freya

Image credits: itsmesesame

#35 Ready For A Slumber Party

Image credits: itsmesesame

#36 This Possum And Her Baby Fell Down Our Friends Chimney

Image credits: kate9871

#37 Mushroom The Possum

Image credits: juniperfoxx

#38 Blessed Possum

#39 Starry & Daff Moments To Warm Our Hearts

Image credits: itsmesesame

#40 Rare Pygmy Possums Just Got Rediscovered After Fears That Bushfires Wiped Them Out

Image credits: Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife

#41 This Heck Of A Thing Hanging From Your Kitchen Window Screen At 2 In The Morning

Image credits: LookingOutAtTheDoomedEarthSheBreathedaSighAsEverythingHadBecome

#42 Cought Red Handed

Image credits: Animals With Powerful Auras

#43 Enjoying The Music

#44 A Local Brisbane Brushtail Possum That Stops By My Window Every Now And Then

Image credits: catfish08

#45 This Little Pygmy-Possum Is Having A Snooze

Image credits: Conservation Volunteers Australia

#46 I Met A Woman With A Possum And A Beautifully Sincere Smile

Image credits: ladypugsworth

#47 Graduation Day! Releasing My Foster Babies Now They Are Old Enough

Image credits: Kendradollx

#48 Police Rescue Baby Opossum, Name Him “Stone Cold Steve Opossum”

Image credits: Nekussa

#49 I Work At A Wildlife Rehabilitation Center And Volunteered To Foster 5 Virginia Opossum Joeys

Image credits: alwaysumpteen

#50 Opossum Baby Gets A Brushy

Image credits: appalachianwild

#51 Goodnight! Sleep Tight! Don’t Let The Bed Bunny Bite

Image credits: itsmesesame

#52 My Sister Rescues Opossums And She Just Sent Me This

Image credits: Ruthguthrie

#53 Señor Chonk Is Back With Frend

Image credits: monetyangggg

#54 Every Holiday Tree Starts As A Seedling!

Image credits: itsmesesame

#55 Georgie The Cute One

Image credits: itsmesesame

#56 Nonreturnable

Image credits: itsmesesame

#57 Leave Your Cupboards Open And I Will Come Visit Your Teapot! Cookie Jars Are Ok Too But I Will Eat All The Cookies First

Image credits: itsmesesame

#58 Enjoying The View

Image credits: itsmesesame

#59 A Rescued Baby Ringtail Possum Warming Up In Front Of A Car Heater

Image credits: unnaturalorder

#60 My Friends Cat Adopted A Baby Possum

Image credits: zampel331

#61 Bailey, Our Golden Brushtail Possum

Image credits: WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo

#62 A Rescued Baby Possum Thinks My German Shepherd Is Its Mom

Image credits: combatpaddler

#63 She Is Beauty, She Is Grace. She Will Bite You In The Face

Image credits: reddit.com

#64 I’ll Never Be This Cute

Image credits: Icanhazacat

#65 I Had An Opossum Visit My House So I Asked If They Were Friendly Or Not In This Facebook Group I’m In. An Animal Rescue Company Replied With This Photo. His Name Is Bobo

Image credits: Carl_Gordon_Jenkins

#66 Volunteering As A Wildlife Rescue Rehabilitator Is Often Hard And Heartbreaking Work. But Having Tiny Babies Fall Asleep In Your Hands Makes It All Worth It

Image credits: linneah15

#67 Possum

Image credits: tessssa

#68 “Shiver Me Timbers! I’m A Pirate!” – Seymour

Image credits: seymourtheopossum

#69 Possum Riding A Baby Deer

Image credits: aarongrc14

#70 We Hope You’re Still Staying Safe!

Image credits: itsmesesame

#71 Where Are The Snacks!

Image credits: prof.jasper.opossum.phd

#72 The Cutest

Image credits: itsmesesame

#73 Correcting The Injustice Of The Lack Of Baby Possums

Image credits: IwishI_had_rabies

#74 An Itsy Bitsy Pygmy Possum

Image credits: Kate_4_President

#75 Pocket Protector

Image credits: itsmesesame

#76 What A Pure And Tiny Face

Image credits: itsmesesame

#77 Shopping In An Nc Walmart Right Now And This Man Has A Live Possum On His Shoulder

Image credits: anniepharr

#78 A Visitor Arrived

Image credits: FawnCoyoteOnline

#79 Current Mood… My Sister’s Possum

Image credits: msCassafrass

#80 Clementine, Reminding Everyone That All Animals Love, And Love To Be Loved! (Rescued Virginia Opossum)

Image credits: Retired_Young

#81 Smiling Opossum Is Molly The Cat’s Best Friend. They Share Cat Food And Smiles. Here’s A Smile For You Too

Image credits: persephonesphoenix

#82 I’m Part Of An Opossum Rescue Group. This Is One Of The Babies

Image credits: AngrySnakeNoises

#83 This Is My Opossum Mia

Image credits: Mursenary

#84 My Coworker Is A Wildlife Rehabber Specializing In Opossums. This Little Girl Is Getting Her Beauty Rest

Image credits: fender8421

#85 Took My Girls Out For Some Sun Today

Image credits: savanah37615

#86 Kika My Opossum

She’s actually a rescue. We found her mom dead after falling out of a tree during a big storm. And yes dead dead. Punctured from the fall and everything. There were nine babies we took in while we tried to find a rehabilitator. Apparently they all moved away but after calling them they instructed us what to do. Eight died. Kika is all that’s left. They had metabolic bone disease. We had received local farm fresh eggs and gave them their first egg. Seven died from salmonella because apparently local farm gave us bad eggs. And by bad I mean the next egg we cracked for breakfast had a fully developed dead baby chicken. I can’t trust local farms after that. Zuka was caught by a coyote we think one night. She liked using the cat door. Kika has really bad arthritis so she can’t be released. She has zero chance of survival. Opossums don’t live all that long so I make it my motto to give her all sorts of foods to try while she has the luxury. Some of her favorites are Greek yogurt, Cheetos, and a few fancy wet cat food entrees I pick up from time to time.

Image credits: overlordzelli

#87 I Have A Baby Opossum Holding On Line 3. Baby Opossum. Line 3

Image credits: TarekValon

#88 This Is Hank. Hank Lives In My Aunt’s Garage He’s Very Old And Has A Hard Time Walking So She Set Up A Warm Place For Him To Rest And Feeds Him Lots Of Treats

Image credits: damndirtycracker

#89 Woman Takes Care Of Orphaned Opossum, And Now It Refuses To Be Released Back Into The Wild

Image credits: Opie Kass

#90 My It Guy

#91 Smile

#92 Scared Little Guy

Image credits: mister42

#93 Goodnight Lovely Friends!

Image credits: itsmesesame

#94 Monday Face

Image credits: sylvestertheopossum

#95 Pretzel The Possum Snacking On Fruit For The 1st Time

Image credits: blachat

#96 People Need To Know The Cuteness Of A Baby Possum

Image credits: barret1

#97 A Friend Of Mine Got A Lobster Costume For Her Possum

Image credits: ZombieBisque

#98 Truck Looks Like It Has A Possum Logo

Image credits: Ih8hate

#99 The Possum Orb Does Random Stuff When Thrown At Another Entity

Image credits: Zuckaluckuh

#100 Only A Few Months Old Rescued Possum

Image credits: Dolphin_Guy14

#101 Cute Little Yawner

Image credits: reddit.com

#102 There’s A Little Guy Taking A Nap In My Hammock Right Now

Image credits: shavinghobbit

#103 Do Not Touch My Burger King

Image credits: Thereisnocureforbeingacunt

#104 Fern, The Sweetest Opossum

Image credits: brittsandgravy

#105 My Cousins Adopted A Baby Opossum After His Mom Was Hit By A Car. Meet Gimli!

Image credits: carsonwl

#106 Opossum In A Onesie

Image credits: itsmesesame

#107 My Whole Life I Have Rehabbed And Owned Opossums! This Is Our Newest One, Little Baby! She Is Quite Photogenic

Image credits: hanna_trevizo

#108 This Is Courtney Ann, She Helped Our Beautiful Wild Friend When He Got Stuck Under A Car

Image credits: itsmesesame

#109 Had A Guy Bring A Opossum Into The Pawn Shop Where I Work Today

Image credits: fastfaust12

#110 This Is Fred

Fred is an idiot who apparently lives around our house somewhere. Fred woke me up at 5 AM freaked out because he was on the ground, and his mom was on our fence waiting for him to figure out how to climb the wall. We reunited Fred with Momma and his three other siblings (more on that in a sec). They wandered around our yard and we started our day. These photos aren’t from 5 AM though, they’re from around 3 when I let our dogs out and heard them freak out. Fred spent a little time in both their mouths, but appears generally unharmed. Assuming Momma is still near somewhere, we put him behind our garage with water and an egg cracked into a cup. As of 10 PM, he was still there chirruping for his mom.

Image credits: eveyw

#111 Happy Sleepy Smiley Sunshiney Sunday, Friends! Xo Emma & Freya

Image credits: itsmesesame

#112 Baby Donut Friend Playing The Harp

Image credits: itsmesesame

#113 This Sleepy Guy

#114 Despite All My Rage, I’m Still Just A Possum In A Cage

#115 Birthday Boy

#116 Ready For Haloween

#117 A Cool Guy

Image credits: Animals With Powerful Auras

#118 Possums Are Cute, Too!

Image credits: tomahawklibrarian

#119 Squirt Says Mornin

Image credits: Sarnt_Krayon

#120 Here’s A Cute Opossum To Brighten Your Day

Image credits: SteveHarveysTalkingMustache

#121 Thought You Guys Might Want To See Our Clinic’s Opossum Ready For Christmas

Image credits: DarkSenpai

#122 Shop Has A New Mascot

Image credits: Cheesy-Ascot

#123 I Raise And Rehab Baby Opossums! I’ve Been Taking Care Of These Guys Since They Were The Size Of My Thumb And I Released Them In The Fall

Image credits: plantcoffeegoblin

#124 Opossum With Babies At A Suburb In San Diego. She Was Easily The Size Of A Housecat!

Image credits: panarthropodism

#125 Despite The Big Silly Grin I Can Assure You That He Was Big Upset About Being Picked Up

Image credits: Action_King_TheBest

#126 Burrito With Extra Poss

Image credits: Redkiteflying

#127 Milkshake

Image credits: itsmesesame

#128 Flower Power

Image credits: dishbarndave

#129 Lovin’ Treats

Image credits: prof.jasper.opossum.phd

#130 Found A Baby Possum. Took It To A Wildlife Rehabilitator. She Sent Me This Picture After She Cleaned Him Up

Image credits: dasuberkaty

#131 One Of Australia’s Not So Scary Animals, The Pygmy Possum

Image credits: JebusDuck

#132 Relocated A Mama And Her Babies Away From Our Construction Site The Other Day

Image credits: Earthsincebirth

#133 It’s My Cake Day. Here’s A Baby Possum

#134 Boys In Blue

Image credits: reddit.com

#135 Anyone Know What Kind Of Bird This Is?

Image credits: jsg0713

#136 A Summertime Photo To Cheer Everyone Up. She Dens Nearby And Still Visits My Back Yard Regularly, But Not Every Night During The Winter

Image credits: Opossum_2020

#137 Little Miss Jellybean Looks So Cute After A Nap

Image credits: Cmdr_Hannibal

#138 Opossums Get A Lot Of Hate, But They Clear A Lot Of Unwanted Bugs And Parasites From The Ecosystem And Are Generally Helpful Friends

#139 Saved This Adorable Baby Opossum From My Dog. Look At That Face!

Image credits: thunderheart26

#140 I Realize Some People Are Averse To Opossums Because They Can Be Mean And Nasty Creatures, But Take My Word For It, Smeagol Is A Really Cool Dude

Image credits: reddit.com

#141 The Opossum Is North America’s Only Marsupial, They Can Eat 5000 Ticks A Year And Are Almost Immune To Rabies! Their Body Temperature Is Too Low For The Virus To Survive

Image credits: itsmesesame

#142 Opossum & Flowers

Image credits: juniperfoxx

#143 Here’s Daisy, My Emotional Support Opossum. I Hope She Makes You Beautiful People Smile

Image credits: goddessofblasphemy

#144 Climbing A Tree To Nap With The Squirrels

Image credits: itsmesesame

#145 Sessie & Daff

Image credits: itsmesesame

#146 Little Pip Says Hello!

Image credits: Wolf_With_Thorns

#147 This Kid At My School Brings His Possum Along Sometimes

Image credits: G-R-A-N-T

#148 Found This Guy On My Way To Work Today

Image credits: Miky617

#149 The Rough Life Of An Unreleasable At Second Chances Wildlife Center

Image credits: NicodemusFox

#150 It’s Me!

Image credits: firetyger

#151 Ever Seen A Baby Opossum?

Image credits: aristhought

#152 I Made A Lil Sweater For My Possum Friend

Image credits: 10ccazz01

#153 The Circle Of Life

Image credits: Sesame the Opossum

#154 Caught This Guy Stealing Cat Food

Image credits: Lmf979

#155 Leadbeater’s Possum Was Presumed Extinct By 1960 Simply Because No Live Specimen Had Been Seen For 50 Years. Then, In 1961, A Single Possum Was Rediscovered

Image credits: Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc.

#156 This Little Visitor I Had Last Year

Image credits: boinkish

#157 The Opossum Is Able To Withstand Up To 80 Rattlesnake Or Coral Snake Bites. Thanks To Him, There Is An Antidote To Snake Venom

Image credits: crazynights87

#158 Help Me Choose A Name For This Baby Opossum (Boy)

Image credits: Im-A-Scared-Child

#159 I Had The Opportunity To Meet An Educational Opossum. Their Fur Is Softer Than I Thought It Would Be

Image credits: Prosthetic-Jesus

#160 When This Baby Possum Looked At Me Like This

I found him in my yard looking completely lost & not really going anywhere. I try not to interfere with mother nature, but I couldn’t just leave him there knowing he would get eaten by someone’s dog or something. Following good wildlife advice, I made him a shelter with an upside down cardboard box so he could get out of the sun & safely wait for dark when his mother would hopefully find him. I put a shallow dish of water in the box & made a couple holes big enough for him to get out when he was ready. I’m pretty sure his mother found him shortly after dark.

Image credits: SeeThroughCanoe

#161 I Love My Little Tick Eating Machine

This opossum comes by my backyard frequently. I feed birds in the back and throw fruit and vegetables out for him and some bunnies that come by and have even had baby bunnies in one of my flower pots. I also have baby robins on my front porch, and have all kinds of birds visiting daily and some adorable squirrels too, whose antics can be hilarious.