@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.
@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.
@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.