North America's only marsupial - and a creature of genuinely remarkable survival skills! Our printable opossum mask celebrates this wonderfully strange, underappreciated animal with its pointed face, bare tail and beady eyes. The opossum may not be glamorous but it is extraordinarily resilient, and this mask is a brilliant conversation starter for any biology or habitats topic. Perfect for North American animals projects, World Book Day, birthday parties, and surprisingly cunning imaginative play.

The opossum's famous 'playing dead' behaviour is just the start of what makes it fascinating - its immunity to snake venom, its tick-eating habits and its marsupial status make it genuinely one of the most scientifically interesting small mammals in North America. Every mask comes with a full colour version AND a black and white line art version for colouring in.

5 Interesting Facts About Opossums!

Playing dead is called thanatosis - an opossum enters an involuntary trance-like state when severely stressed, becoming completely limp, drooling and emitting a foul smell that convinces predators it is already dead and diseased.
Opossums are immune to the venom of most North American snakes - including rattlesnakes and cottonmouths - and researchers are studying their venom-neutralising proteins for potential medical applications.
They are extraordinary tick-eaters - a single opossum can consume up to 5,000 ticks per season, making them one of the most effective natural controls against Lyme disease in North America.
Opossums are North America's only marsupial - babies are born after just 13 days gestation, roughly the size of a bumblebee, and crawl unaided to their mother's pouch where they spend the next two months developing.
Their prehensile tail can grip branches but cannot support their full weight for long periods - the idea of opossums hanging from their tails while sleeping is largely a cartoon invention.

Printable Opossum Mask

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