Be glad you haven't met one in person Chick...

We've got fainting goats here in the South, and we also have fainting chica...chi...whatever those tiny little dogs are that speak Spanish...you know...the Taco Bell Dog? Anyway, they will faint if you sneak up behind them and shout real loud. I never did it...honest Chatty, I didn't...but I know somebody that did. All those terriers will faint....I heard.

JJ

Possums are marsupials. The young climb into the pouch when they're born - they "hang around" on the tail after they're older. Here's a link.
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/opossum.htm#6
RE: rabies...rabies is a viral disease that can affect ALL warm blooded animals.

Takes a really rough and tough individual to sneak up behind a dog weighing usually under 7 pounds and scare it to death or into fainting. I'll tell you a true story. Once when living on the lake in Illinois, my little 6 pound Yorkie was out in the yard and a boy visiting my neighbor had my dog trapped against the wall and was banging a big stick on the ground in front of her. I rescued her and told him nicely, as he mouthed off, that if he did it again, I'd send her brother out to help her. Two days later I heard her screaming and the same little monster was at it again so I opened the door and let out her brother. The kid ended up on the ground shaking and crying and he pissed his pants. OH, did I forget to mention that her brother was a 110 pound doberman???? Bet that rotten little creep never bothers another little helpless dog....

My father's Yorkie was picked up by an eagle in Alaska. Forunately the dog fell out of the eagle's claws and wasn't very far up in the air. The dog only sustained some scratches from the claws.

Chatty that is hilarious! That little snot got what she deserved. The guy in my neighborhood who was mean to the little dogs ended up later in life going to prison...I am not making this up. He was mean when he was little, and ended up marrying and killing his little 2-year old daughter. I was about 10 or so when he went to prison. I heard he is out now. Can you believe that?

JJ

Thanks for the link unique. The habitats description says it prefers wet areas, definitely not here. I knew it was a marsupial.

The one that was rummaging by my door is lighter-colored than the ones in the website pictures, light beige with a pink face.