Little guy looks tasty. 
Donāt get one cornered.
My neighbor had a dog that got torn up by one of them. Suckers are super nasty when trapped.
Out here in the Pacific Northwest, they look a lot flatter when I see em. :#
In West Virginia there isnāt a lot of Road Kill ājust hanging around not in a pot somewhereā so theyāre a little thin. Careful though, they are irritable in Close Quarter Combat situations.
Before you ask - I had Pasta and Sauce. It was easier to ādispatchā and clean.
Oh come on. The opossum canāt even handle a little fright. They go into a state of temporary artificial inactivity and mimic the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal when faced with danger. Of course that does not always happen.
But in their habitat the raccoon is generally much more dangerous to other animals than the generally shy opossum.
The opossum is really little more than an often arboreal rat (although some subspecies are ground dwellers) that happens to be related to a kangaroo. (and the kangaroo is really just a big ugly pest)
Their really only major claims to fame is their near total immunity to pit viper venom and their high resistance to rabies. Also they are quite good when prepared well done and seasoned with a strong spicy peanut sauce. (Apologies to those unfortunate folks with nut allergies.) They make an awesome jerky as well.
I love defenseless animals, especially in a good gravy.
Hence the term: āPlaying Possumā.
A friend of mine found one in that state and picked it up by the tail, then found out what happens when they realize their cover is blown. Needless to say he couldnāt let go of it quick enough and vowed never again to wake one up.
Speaking of things that can bite you while youāre holding them up by the tail - as an avid surf-fisher the early-fall finger mullet run, when trillions of the things pour out of the North East and Eastern Estuaries to the sea on their migration to Southern waters is THE time to be surf fishing. All sorts of predatory species (and clueless tourists) arrive at the shore to become intermingled, among them āmanageableā biter sharks in the 2 to 4 foot range. The larger ones are known as āunstoppablesā for rather obvious reasons.
Anyway, a jovial sort of tourist arrived via a rental SUV on the beach, parking right next to our group of seasoned veterans. As always we shared our rigs and tips having a great time catching fat Northern Kingfish for the pan, live-baiting doormat sized flounder at the āfirst turnā (8 feet from the beach) and the occasional biter (all safely and quickly released as per our instructions and tutelage). This guy landed one - about 3 feet long - and before we could react ignored our warnings and picked it up by the tail. I had visions of this thing arcing up to his armpit where a real danger of a severed major artery exists, but instead on itās way to the armpit that mouth full of teeth contacted his trunks, shredding them, and on the next arc in the other direction left him standing buck nekked trying to let go of mini-jaws, all this happening in some horrific slow-motion playback scene.
Everyone survived, baby jaws was relieved of his new prize - the guyās shorts (they came off so fast they missed being soiled) - was unhooked and released. We, nor He will EVER forget that late afternoon and Iāll bet you āTim Touronā never, EVER picks up a shark by the tail for as long as he lives.
BTW; Iām glad @astrofisher never got this thread closed or I would have had to derail some useful thread sharing that entertaining interlude.
BTW2: Here is myself and a grand old lady (the coveted Red Drum/Channel Bass/Spot-Tailed Bass/Sea Going Carp) in November of 2001. She was probably older then than I am now. Studies reveal these old girls can live into their 70s and I hope sheās still out there somewhere. She came to the beach (not easily by any means), was unhooked, measured, the picture was taken, then she was eased back to the sea (under a minute):
I am (was) 6ā4" at 295lbs. We estimated her a little over 50lbs by a calculation of her length and girth. A memorable morning around 2AM.
BTW; Iām glad @astrofisher never got this thread closed or I would have had to derail some useful thread sharing that entertaining interlude.
Yes, I was just thinking the same. Very useful info here. Note to self - never pick up a shark by itās tail. 
@astrofisher said:
BTW; Iām glad @astrofisher never got this thread closed or I would have had to derail some useful thread sharing that entertaining interlude.
Yes, I was just thinking the same. Very useful info here. Note to self - never pick up a shark by itās tail.
Would it be better to pick it up by the mouth? 
Actually I believe that sharks are one of the many sea creatures that the best way to handle them is by total avoidance. āThe best defense is to not be there.ā
I know a lot about the land animals of the US and SE Asia but I know little about the even greater diversity that lives in the waters of the world. Of course it is MUCH easier to avoid the creatures of the sea than ii is those of the land. Just stay out of large bodies of water.
BTW: Sharks scare me a lot. My daddy was on the USS Indianapolis when it was sunk in WWII after delivering āThe Bomb.ā He survived with only a āsmallā bite wound to his side but would never talk much about that incident. He had nightmares that would awaken the entire household two or three times a month until the day he died.
From what little I was able to glean from him four days in the water with the 100ās of sharks was worse than being pinned down under fire for weeks on Guadalcanal. He was a Seabee and very proud of that. He would talk about all other parts of the War he just would not talk about those four days after the USS Indianapolis was attacked.
Sharks = scary. Opossums not so much.
I lived on Hatteras Island for over a decade and was amazed when tourists were shocked to find out those āunstoppableā 6-8 foot toothies (we were actually targeting in deep summer when nothing else was around - with the appropriate gear) were swimming in the same water at the same depth they were wading in or throwing that Frisbee in for their Black Labs (yea, the ones that look like fat, four-legged seals). We informed all that would listen what was going on, but landing an 8 footer usually sent an indelible message of reality home.
The only ones that were deemed āunpredictableā were Bull Sharks, but even then when a bite occurred it was little more than a taste, then the realization a mistake had been made. Unfortunately a ātasteā for critter with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth can be deadly. Sharks arenāt typically Man Eaters - but when something has been identified as food - all bets are off. Sharks do what they do and are very good at it. They, as a species, have had millions of years of practice.
Those poor sailors were victims of āthe frenzyā. As a recreational and commercial fisherman my heart goes out to those men, survivors and their families. You donāt āget overā something like that.
Just before the economy collapsed and I was forced to leave a Russian couple were ātastedā. The Girlās foot was instantly severed at the ankle and the man while trying to aid her was lightly raked severing his femoral artery. She survived, but he bled out in minutes.
Those things are in there. If youāre in there too - youād better be aware of that. Donāt go in at breakfast or dinner time. Dawn, Dusk and Night are bad times to leap into the dinner fray. Theyāre eating fish, but when everybody is in the same pool anything can and does happen.
We never took ANYTHING that fell outside the strict Marine Fisheries rules laid down for recreational or commercial fishing behavior. Those rules are there for a reason. Sharks are heavily regulated. As brutal as they can be they are an important part of the Marine Ecosystem. They are just trying to make a living - just like us.
You wouldnāt want to argue with a Grizzly Bear for taking your favorite Salmon Spot. Same thing, kinda, but a Grizzly Bear will kill and eat you because it has to. It needs your fat and has a nasty reputation to maintain.
