Possum vs Opossum: Are They the Same Animal or Different?

Key differences at a glance

The confusion comes from the name. In the United States and Canada, people usually shorten “opossum” to “possum”, so an American talking about a possum almost always means the Virginia opossum. In Australia and New Zealand, a possum is a completely different animal, such as the common brushtail possum or the common ringtail possum.

The two groups look somewhat alike because both are small, furry, tree-climbing marsupials that come out at night. Up close, though, they differ in their tails, teeth, faces, diets, breeding and lifespans, as the table above shows.

Where do opossums and possums live?

Opossums live only in the Americas. Most of the roughly 126 species are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Just one, the Virginia opossum, ranges into the United States and Canada, where it is the only marsupial.

Possums are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands as far west as Sulawesi in Indonesia. There are about 70 species in the group, including brushtail and ringtail possums, tiny pygmy possums, sugar and greater gliders, and the slow-moving cuscuses. The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s for the fur trade and has become a serious invasive species there, with an estimated population of around 30 million.

Neither group lives naturally in Europe, Africa or mainland Asia, so the two never meet in the wild.

Are opossums and possums related?

Both are marsupials, mammals whose young are born tiny and finish developing attached to a teat, usually inside a pouch. Beyond that, they are only distant relatives. Opossums belong to the order Didelphimorphia. Australian possums belong to the order Diprotodontia, together with kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and the koala.

In other words, a brushtail possum is more closely related to a red kangaroo or a koala than to any American opossum. The ancestors of the two groups split apart many tens of millions of years ago, when South America, Antarctica and Australia were still joined as part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana.

Their similar looks are partly the result of similar lifestyles. Animals that climb trees at night and eat a mixed diet tend to evolve grasping feet, good night vision and long, gripping tails, whatever their ancestry.

How do they look different?

The quickest clue is the tail. The Virginia opossum’s tail is long, pink-gray, scaly and nearly bare, a little like a rat’s. The brushtail possum’s tail is thick and bushy, with fur along most of its length and a bare patch only on the underside of the tip, which helps it grip branches. The ringtail possum’s tail is thinner but still furred, usually with a white tip.

Faces differ too. The Virginia opossum has a long, pointed, white face, a pink nose and thin, black, hairless ears. Brushtail possums have shorter, fox-like faces, large dark eyes and large, furred, pointed ears.

Teeth tell scientists a lot. Opossums have 50 small, pointed teeth, the most of any North American land mammal. Australian possums have fewer teeth and, like kangaroos and koalas, two large lower incisors that point forward, the feature that gives the order Diprotodontia its name, meaning “two forward teeth”. Two of the toes on their hind feet are also joined together and used as a grooming comb.

Diet and behavior compared

Opossums are true omnivores and scavengers. The Virginia opossum eats insects, earthworms, snails, small animals, eggs, carrion, fruit and garbage, and it can even eat venomous pit vipers.

Most Australian possums are mainly plant eaters. The common brushtail possum eats eucalyptus and other leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds, with some insects, eggs and chicks. The ringtail possum eats mostly leaves and, like a rabbit, re-eats special soft droppings to get more nutrition from them.

Both groups are nocturnal and mostly solitary, and both have adapted well to towns. Brushtail possums often nest in roof spaces in Australian cities, while Virginia opossums den under decks and sheds in North America. Only the opossum is famous for collapsing and playing dead when frightened, a reaction explained in why do opossums play dead?.

Breeding and lifespan

The two groups follow very different life strategies. A Virginia opossum is pregnant for only 12 to 13 days and may give birth to 20 or more tiny young, of which usually 8 or 9 attach to the teats. The young ride on their mother’s back after leaving the pouch, and most adults live only 1.5 to 2 years in the wild.

A common brushtail possum is pregnant for 16 to 18 days and usually has a single young, which stays in the pouch for 4 to 5 months and then rides on its mother’s back or waits in the den. Brushtail possums can live up to about 13 years in the wild. The opossum bets on large numbers, the brushtail possum on slow, careful parenting.

Why do Americans call opossums possums?

The word “opossum” comes from a Powhatan word recorded by English colonists at Jamestown, Virginia, between 1607 and 1611. The short form “possum” was already in use by 1613, so it is almost as old as the full name.

When European explorers and settlers reached Australia in the late 1700s, they saw furry, tree-climbing marsupials that reminded them of the American opossum and borrowed the name, usually in its short form. Over time, “possum” became the standard name in Australia, while scientists and dictionaries in North America kept “opossum” for the American animals. In everyday American speech, both words are used for the same Virginia opossum.

So the answer depends on where you are. In Atlanta or Toronto, a possum and an opossum are the same animal. In Sydney or Auckland, a possum is an Australasian marsupial, and the opossum is a creature most people have only seen in pictures or zoos.