Talk:Opossum

There are only 8 young on top of the adult opossum

The main photo of this article claims that the adult opossum is carrying 9 young. However, I can only count 8 young in this image. I can't see where the ninth one is, if it does exist. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stripeythetiger (talk • contribs) 05:19, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

No longer recognized species

Under the classification section there are 16 different species that are no longer recognized as valid, and 14 of those have their own separate pages. Just wondering what we should do about them? Most of them have been reclassified as synonyms of other species that are valid, and idk what to do about their pages. For now I marked the invalid ones and listed the species they are synonyms for, but it would be better to clean it up. DirtWhiskey (talk) 07:22, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

Probably they should be merged with the article the species are now synonymous with. - UtherSRG (talk) 12:29, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

Also, we usually wait until the IUCN and MDD are in agreement before making taxonomic changes. I haven't checked the IUCN on these changes yet, though I spot checked the MDD and those seem right. - UtherSRG (talk) 12:30, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Principles of Biology 2

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 January 2024 and 3 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Wildfern.27 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Wildfern.27 (talk) 17:28, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

Who is “Siebert”?

In the etymology section, it states:

 Siebert reconstructs the word phonemically as /a·passem/.

Who is “Siebert” here? The name doesn’t seem to be referenced before this sentence.

The citation for the sentence is “Crawford, James Mack; Crawford, James D. (1975). Studies in Southeastern Indian Languages. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-0334-5.” However, the editor there is “Crawford”, not “Siebert.” It’s possible that “Siebert” is the author of the relevant passage, but the name doesn’t appear in the small linked excerpt on Google Books. I don’t have the cited book, and there’s no ebook available, so I can’t check it for more detail.

Does anybody have a good justification for the name “Siebwet”, or a better phrasing for that sentence without the name? Magicmat (talk) 11:35, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

Possums in Australiasia and Opossums in America are 2 different species

The photo you show is of an American Opossum (when referencing what kills bird eggs in NZ), which is different to a possum in Australia or NZ. They don't even look similar. 43.231.195.16 (talk) 04:14, 9 February 2025 (UTC)

This article is about New World opossums. You're thinking of the Australian possums. Mr Fink (talk) 05:13, 9 February 2025 (UTC)

Migrating North into Quebec

The opossum is more and more common in southern Quebec mostly around St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu. We should expand the habitat map north-east. 65.94.181.101 (talk) 20:03, 20 May 2025 (UTC)