Meeting the Opossum

Summary
The lesson looks at the characteristics of the opossum which make this little animal quite unique in North America.

Objectives
• The children will be able to describe the characteristics of the opossum.

• The children will understand what makes this animal unique in North America.

Suggested Grades
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade

Excerpt
The opossum is unique because, firstly, it is the only marsupial in North America. A marsupial is an animal which has a fur-lined pouch on its stomach in which it carries its babies. The babies grow and develop in the pouch, attached to a milk teat. When the babies become too large for the pouch the mother carries them about on her back, as you can see in the picture above. There are many marsupials in Australia, like the kangaroo, but the opossum is the only one in North America.

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