no definitely not a possum!

Could it be an exotic animal, turned loose by someone, or escaped from an animal park - can't tell from the picture you've posted. What did your neighbor do with this animal? Call animal control- they will be able to identify it.

I don't know how anyone could ID it from the photo...I can't see it. I did try to enlarge the photo but even then the actual animal is almost hidden. Is there any way to post a clearer bigger photo?
Joann

No idea what it is, from that picture. Not a possum.

If I had to guess from that picture... it looks like a penguin. A better picture would be nice.

No, it was impossible to get a better pic as the cage was not big and it was pretty much curled up. Plus it is raining here and that didn't help get a clear pic. It was the size of a skunk, but definietly was not a skunk as it had no white stripes - just the white collar. There are skunks in the area, though. He has taken it someplace so we can't take more pics. We do appreciate that he came and told us and agreed to us going over to the cage to have a look. I'm almost 82 years old and have never seen this animal before. Goodness knows where it came from or how long it has been around. He had noticed a lot of droppings and that was the reason why he put the cage in the area.

Thanks for all you suggestions.

Based on that poor image, and your location of Canada, I'll guess Wolverine.

A Nutria? What part of the country are you in?

I think bob is right--Wolverine

The picture I linked to sees not to have worked.

Poor critter, I hope he took him somewhere nice and released him.

Yes, I hope he is released soon... and with caution.

I agree with that, I think it is a Wolverine also. I had not thought of location , I was thinking about what I would see here, we would not be seeing a Wolverine here.
I recognized the face but for the life of me could not think of the name. I kept thinking lemurs and knew that was wrong.

That's what I meant - Wolverine, not Badger. duh. Because of the ring around it's neck, I remember I watched a program on Wolverines and they had a similar appearance. Not in an area with Wolverines? Too big for a ferret?

We live in London, Ontario and I have heard of wolves being spotted a few miles from us. I'm pretty dumb, but is a wolverine a young wolf. This certainly was not a full grown one.

Yes, it has been released. I'm not sure where he took it but he wanted to be sure it wasn't killed. It looked so cute and cuddly but no one wanted to take any chances. I'm going to be interested to know if more come to the same area.

So glad to read he was safely released. Wolverines are the largest of the weasel family, no relation to wolves. Here are some facts:

10 Facts about Wolverines

1. A wolverine's fur is brownish-black in color with light brown stripes along the sides. Its fur is dense and long, and resists water, that helps the wolverine tolerate the cold and frost of the environment it inhabits.

2. Wolverines have a stocky build with powerful limbs, a large head, a short tail and small ears. Its feet are equipped with pads and large claws, which enable it to traverse through heavy snow.

3. Basically solitary, the wolverine requires a lot of space to roam, and has been known to travel 15-20 miles a day looking for food. As a matter of fact, some animals have been tracked over the snow for 60-80 kilometers.

4. For food, they attack caribou herds when they migrate and feed on the carcasses that bears and wolves leave behind. Because of their requirement for large ranges of habitat, wolverines can be found in the remote regions of the Tundra, Taiga, and Boreal forests in the northern parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. In fact, they have a penchant for areas that are uninhabited by humans.

5. Similar to other weasels, the wolverine, by nature, is curious, daring and tough. It is an omnivorous animal, feeding on a variety of food. In summers, wolverines eat berries, edible roots and various plants, which is only a small part of their diet. Being tenacious predators, they travel great distances to get their main food, i.e., meat.

6. While smaller-sized prey like rodents and rabbits are easy fare for the animal, if given the opportunity it will set upon animals that are much larger in size, like deer and caribou. And, as mentioned above, they are also opportunistic feeders that eat animals which have been killed by other predatory animals, like caribou, deer and elk. In fact, eating carrion helps them to survive the winter, when food can be scarce. They even dig into the snow to find and eat hibernating animals.

7. The wolverine is basically a terrestrial animal; however, it is very good at climbing trees and is also a powerful swimmer. It has great stamina and uses a fast lope to travel great distances without breaking for rest.

8. Though being nocturnal, if the wolverine finds itself in regions of extended darkness or daylight, it will change its pattern of being awake and sleeping. Like the bears, this animal has poor eyesight, but its hearing and smelling senses are very good.

9. The males use their scent glands to mark out their territory, sometimes even marking their caches of food. They are said to be polygamous and hence, share their territory with a number of females. Although they are solitary animals, members of the family do play with each other.

10. Female wolverines dig underground in order to give birth to their young ones, which usually are 2 to 3 at a time, either in early spring or late winter. The young ones stay with their mothers until they are two years of age, when they mature enough to reproduce themselves.

IF that was a wolverine, it would have had to have been a baby, and not likely to survive in the wild without it's mother.

no,Ivamae-a wolverine is NOT a young wolf-different breed of animal altogether.

IF anything,it IS an exotic-there is a breed of animal close to the racoon that a lot of the petting zoos in Ontario quite often have-it "seems" to resemble that much moreso than any of the above mentioned

Futhermore,in the area that you are,you are most apt to have what is known as a "Ficsher"-which that doesnt appear to be either-you wouldnt be seeing a wolverine OR a badger for that matter.

I think ont_gal is correct in naming it a fisher. Just googled that, and it seems appropriate for the description. Don't let them near your cat!!!

Neither a wolverine nor a badger would ever go quietly into any confined space like that cage unless there were something seriously wrong with the animal...like advanced rabies. They'd be snarling, baring teeth and fighting for freedom. No human would be able to get near either species. Also, from your description, it's too small to be either of those aforementioned adult animals.

If its identity isn't known soon, I would suggest that the person who caged it go see his Dr for possible rabies shots and that any droppings the animal left, including saliva, be cleaned up with Clorox or other strong antiseptic. A call to the local animal rescue services might, also, be in order.

Good luck.

Anne