In my neck of the woods, we call those "grinners"... because when you're driving along at night and you happen upon one, they look like they're grinning at you in the light from your headlights! Larry says that possums don't bite... they just hiss and try to look scary. Grab it by the tail, and it will pass out... thus, the saying, "playing possum"... when scared, their bodies actually release a chemical that slows their body functions, and they pass out. Take notice next time you see a dead possum on the side of the road... not even crows eat them. Which tells me that possum pie is probably something I don't want to try! Great photo, Kristi! I must say, I prefer your Hippi pictures above and beyond the one of the grinner! Carmen is a lovely red, and I like Lemon Lime and Giraffe equally well! Wonderful photos, Kristi! Thanks for sharing!

All you need to do is to consult the Center for Disease Control for information on infectious diseases. Direct contact with the saliva or body matters is what transmit this disease. One thing about raccoons though. they carry a kind of microscopic worm in their feces. I worried about this because once the feces dries up the eggs may spread and get ingested. There was a case in Toronto of a child that went blind because the raccoons used a public sandbox as it's litterbox and the child got infected while playing in that sand box. So when I had a pesky racoon in my yard, I took extra effort to disinfect where it did it's business (which was on my fence and the roof of my shed). So if there are more than one racoon in your area causing havoc - best take measures to prevent them getting into your garbage or compost. In my house, I had actually set up a shed for both the garbage and the green compost. Even then, the sneaky devils managed to find a way to pry the door open, but we fixed that. Inside the shed, we took additional measures to make it difficult for the raccoons to open the lids of the containers. Get a pest company to remove the animal. We had one that eventually found itself in our roof and made a nest there. A pest company had to deal with that. One pest company suggested leaving ammonia soaked rags to deter the creatures but it's smelly and you need to repeatedly wet the rag.

How do people get rabies? People get rabies from infected mammals. Rabies is transmitted most often through animal bites, although other contact with the saliva or brain tissue of an infected animal can cause the disease. Evidence suggests that rabies can also be spread by a seemingly insignificant bite from a bat with rabies, even without an obvious wound. Largely eliminated from dogs by vaccination programs, the virus has re-emerged as a widespread problem among wild mammals, particularly raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats. There has also been a slight but significant rise in the annual number of cases in humans. From 1981 to 1993, the number of rabies cases ranged from 0 to 3. There were 6 cases in 1994 and 4 each in 1995, 1996, and 1997. Despite an outbreak of rabies in raccoons on the East Coast, there have been no reports of humans becoming infected by raccoons. Most of the new cases in humans involve bats. How can rabies be prevented? * Make sure dogs, cats, and ferrets are vaccinated against rabies. Keep the vaccinations up to date. * Obey leash laws, and keep your pets supervised on your property to reduce the chance of exposure to rabies. * When traveling or visiting wilderness areas, avoid any direct contact with wild animals, especially bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. Enjoy wild animals from a distance, even if they seem friendly. If you see an animal acting strangely, notify local health or animal control authorities. Do not try to catch the animal yourself. * Stay away from wildlife. If any contact occurs or is suspected, get medical advice as soon as possible. Some animal bites are small, and people can be bitten without realizing it (such as when they are asleep). * If your pet is attacked or bitten by another animal, report the attack to local health or animal control authorities. Be sure your vaccinated pet gets a booster vaccination. * If a person gets bitten, don't panic. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and lots of water. Get medical help immediately. The person might need preventive treatment. Rabies rarely occurs in humans if preventive treatment is started immediately. Alert animal control authorities so they can try to capture the animal. * Certain high-risk persons can be vaccinated against rabies. People who should consider being vaccinated include: veterinarians, persons who work with wildlife, laboratory staff who work with the rabies virus, and long-term travelers to areas where rabies is common. from Rabies Fact Sheet

From possumrehabber: "being a gardening forum, i understand the concerns of wildlife/strays destroy lawn and gardens. i want to assure you that the opossum is not only a non-threatening creature, but most beneficial. without the opossum, we would be overrun by bugs, rodents, disease caused by many creatures that litter our roads. these little wonders have earned the name of "little sanitation workers". unlike skunk, raccoon, etc- they don't dig up your yard and garden. they dont raid your veggies like the cottontails. actually they prefer the rotten fruits/veggies that drop to the ground drawing the harmful insects you work hard to prevent. they eat and are immune to black widow, brown recluses, rattlesnakes, etc. they are non-aggressive; the nasty display you witness is mostly bluff and their only line of defense (along w/ playing possum). this is not to say that if you approached one and stuck your hand in his face that he wouldn't bite; he probably would, but i'm guessing you would too. these animals are not destructive to property, pets, etc. THEY HAVE FAR LESS disease than other wildlife (including birds), and or stray unvaccinated cats/dogs (both of which cause more injuries/illness).they do not contract distemper, parvo,and rabies is EXTREMELY rare. dispite popular belief; they are very clean, are not stupid (i myself have found them smarter than dogs in many areas)." Here is a link that might be useful: Posted by: possumrehabber AL (My Page) on Wed, May 12, 04 at 8:49