@holon42
He's adorable! Is he yours, and is that you? If so, very cool! What is he? You can get back to me on that tomorrow, of course. 😉
Have a good night! 🖖 😊 🐿️
no, he's not mine. he was rescued as a baby and refused to leave when taken out to release in a good spot — just kept running back and climbing her leg.
holding Teddy is her roommate, whom Teddy loves too.
he loves croissants 😋
he's an opossum.
@holon42 oh wow, he looks a bit different from the ones living in the woods around me. Especially the ears.
here's some other photos. he's a very healthy specimen. the ears are different now that he's older than as a baby.
@peeppeepcircus @holon42
I thought he looked like an opossum, but had no idea they got that big. The only one I've seen IRL was just a little bigger than a ferret. OMG, he's so cute! Such soulful eyes. 😍 🐾
i read that they don't live long in the wild, 1-2 years if that. he's getting up there now but is very healthy so perhaps he'll live longer.
there’s one wild grizzled one i’ve been seeing for *many* years at the compost pile in the evenings, definitely over 2 years. a tough beast though, battle weary and battle scarred, not exactly eye candy. haven’t checked lately to see if he’s still coming around, but i remember i kept being surprised that i kept seeing him for so many years. and i get to see the mommas with the babies on their back from time to time.
oh, that's interesting. i guess the figure is average, because many don't survive infancy. the orphan rate is pretty high.
i read the same about chipmunks, only average a year. prey favourites. but i had one that returned for peanuts for 4 years before disappearing.
@peeppeepcircus @holon42
It's similar with squirrels. Their life expectancy is about 3-4 years in the wild, up to 6 years in captivity.
But this little girl, Chevron, lived to be at least 6 years in the wild! Well, she had a little help from her friends. 😊 🐿️
yes, squirrels who inherit stashes from momma also live longer.
aw, I’ve had some wild squirrel frens. Stumpy was my favorite, but with all the predators around me they do not last long. Except for that one time when they overrun the woods until a missing predator showed back up. I saved a baby squirrel once, and it opened its mouth like a mini screaming Viking Warrior going out in a blaze of glory (not realizing I was helping it at first). They are tough little warriors nonetheless.
yes, chipmunks too. there were so many this year, mild winter, that foxes moved in come spring.
@holon42 same statistics with California Quail birds. They start off with so many eggs and babies, which I love seeing, but it’s a numbers game in the wild as most if not many will not survive to adulthood.