National Opossum Day Applies to Virginia Opossums Saturday, October 18

Summary: National Opossum Day applies to Virginia opossums, as North American marsupials native to Canada, Mexico and the United States, Saturday, October 18, 2025.

"God talks to human beings through many vectors: through each other, through organized religion, through the great books of those religions, through wise people, through art and music and literature and poetry, but nowhere with such detail and grace and color and joy as through creation. When we destroy a species, when we destroy a special place, we're diminishing our capacity to sense the divine, understand who God is and what our own potential is." Robert Francis Kennedy Jr., April 19, 2023, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts.

“And there’s many people out there who want us to move to the next planet already and I’m like, hang on, let’s not give up on this planet yet," William, Prince of Wales, July 31, 2023, Sorted Food food truck, London, England, United Kingdom.

Wildlife Center of Virginia, via Facebook, Oct. 18, 2025

National Opossum Day applies to Virginia opossums, as North American marsupials (pouched for nursing newborns; Latin marsūpium, "pouch/purse"; Greek μαρσίππιον) native to Canada, Mexico and the United States, Saturday, October 18, 2025.

The Virginia opossum belongs within the Chordata phylum (Latin chordata [Greek χορδή, "guts/tripe"], "cord/string-having," chorda -ata; Greek φῦλον, "nation/race/set/tribe") of the Animalia (Latin animal, "living-creature") kingdom. Body hair, mammary-gland milk and lower-jaw bone connected directly to their skulls count Virginia opossums among the animal kingdom's Mammalia (Latin mamma, "breast['s]," mamma -alia) class. Virginia opossums delivering their newborns after a 13-day gestation to 70-day nursing in maternal pouches defines their Didelphimorphia ("two-womb-appearance-/shape-like," Greek δι- δελφύς μορφή -ία) marsupial-order membership.

Genus, species Didelphis virginiana ("two-womb of-Virginia," Greek δι- δελφύς; Latin Virginia -ānus) emphasize taxonomist Robert Kerr 's (Thurs., Oct. 20, 1757-Mon., Oct. 11, 1813) Virginia-encountered specimen.

As many as 25 3/16-inch- (4.8-millimeter-) wide, 7/16-inch- (11-millimeter-) long newborns in each winter litter, in every early-summer litter, find their way to individual, maternal-pouch nipples.

Their mothers guard the opossum young 2, 2-plus months even as 60- to 70-day-olds never go on their own until perhaps 3 to 4 weeks later. They have to hone climbing and foraging habits even as maternal backs, maternal pouches otherwise holding them, house them whenever their mothers head from their homes. Opossum young itinerate as 4, 4-plus-month-olds to impermanent inhabitations near water and woodlands even as they install their nests in abandoned burrows, attics, barns and sheds.

National Opossum Day Tues, Oct. 18, 2025, jubilates Virginia opossums even as two-year lifespans journey them around crayfishing, fishing, underwater-swimming, wading streams; deciduous forests; urban areas.

Virginia opossums gently keep to themselves even as animals and people know them as dead- and fresh-animal, fresh-plant generalistic, opportunistic omnivores (Latin omnivorus, "all-/everything-/-devouring/-eating," omnis vorus).

Just-independentized and mature Virginia opossums like such fresh foods as corn, grains, grasses; eggs; such insects as ants, beetles and grasshoppers; tree berries, fruits, nuts, seeds. They munch such small vertebrates as birds, frogs, lizards, meadow-voles, mice, rats, shrew even as crayfish, fish; earthworms; snails; and such matter in Virginia-opossum omnivorous diets. .

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Sophia Stella, at Opossum Lovers, via Facebook June 15, 2025

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Wildlife Center of Virginia, via Facebook, Oct. 18, 2025, @ https://www.facebook.com/wildlifecenter/posts/although-there-is-some-debate-over-whether-national-opossum-day-is-october-17th-/1229158045908186/

Sophia Stella, at Opossum Lovers, via Facebook June 15, 2025, @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/opossumslovers/posts/23976477621948785/

For further information:

Augee, Michael L. 2020. "Opossum." Pages 811-812. In: The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 14: N-O. Chicago IL: World Book, Inc..

Bambaradeniya, Dr. Channa; Cinthya Flores; Dr. Joshua Ginsburg; Dwight Houng; Dr. Susan Lumpkin; George McKay; Dr. John Muscik; Dr. Patrick Quilty; Dr. Bernard Stonehouse; Dr. Eric John Woehler; Dr. David Woodruff. 2009. "Virginia Opossum." Pages 16, 95, 259b." The Illustrated Atlas of Wildlife. Sydney NSW, Australia: Weldon Owen Pty Ltd.

Berne, Emma Carlson. 2015. Opossums. PowerKIDS Press Series Scavengers: Eating Nature's Trash. New York NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

Dennis-Bryan, Dr. Kim. 2008. Unfussy eater: Virginia opossum." Page 200. In: Dr. CharlotteUhlenbroek. Editor-in-Chief. 2008. Animal Life. Mammals contributions by Dr. Kim Dennis-Bryan. Mammals consultations with Dr. Juliet Clutton-Brock. Authenticated by the American Museum of Natural History. New York NY: DK Publishing.

Johnson, Douthat State Park Chief Ranger Hannah. 18 October 2025. "All About Opossums." Eagle Rock VA: Eagle Rock Public Library.

Marriner, Derdriu. 18 October 2025. "National Opossum Day Applies to Virginia Opossums Saturday, October 18." Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2025/10/national-opossum-day-applies-to.html

Uhlenbroek, Dr. Charlotte. Editor-in-Chief. 2008. Animal Life. Mammals contributions by Dr. Kim Dennis-Bryan. Mammals consultations with Dr. Juliet Clutton-Brock. Authenticated by the American Museum of Natural History. New York NY: DK Publishing.