Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 01:02:08 -0700
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From: Jim McCoy <jfmccoy at earthlink.net>
To: "'Tweeters'" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: opossums
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The NAS Field Guide to North American mammals shows a wide, continuous range for the Virginia opossum from the eastern and central US down into Mexico and up right along the coast to Washington, and east in a narrow band from Washington into Idaho. It's almost entirely absent from Canada. In addition to Central America, I'm pretty sure that opossums are widespread in South America as well. I know that the Maya knew about opossums a millennium ago. Further, if memory serves, our modern opossum is thought to have split from its marsupial cousins after South America split from Australia a long, long time ago.

The scale and continuity of the range makes it appear as though perhaps habitat, not frustrated hunters nor Walt Kelly, is responsible for the distribution of the species.

Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA