Mommy opossum carries 15 babies | MotD 11.05.21

[DJ aka GDR DJ]

Mommy opossum carries 15 babies 😮

 

 

[RedBaird]

Holy Moly!  

 

Quote

Opossum babies
After a gestation of just 12 to 13 days, female opossums, called jills, give birth to up to 20 live young at a time. The babies, called joeys, are about the size of jelly beans when they are born. They immediately crawl into the mother's pouch to continue developing. Sep 21, 2016

 

I was wondering if when Mama Possum "plays dead", do all of her Joeys play dead too?

 

Quote

Can They Play Dead as Babies?
Another thing that you need to know about these possums is that they are able to play dead even when they are babies. Again, you have to understand that this behavior is natural and it is involuntary. The possum is born with this.

 

It seems that Possums do not "play dead", they go into a catatonic state where their eyes stay open, their lips retract and they might drool.  If their attacker bites them, they do not feel the bite and cannot react to it. 

 

Now I am wondering what the Jill does if she wakes up surrounded by her catatonic Joeys?  

 

OOPS!  I "researched to far!"

 

Quote

The largest difference between the opossum and non-marsupial mammals is the bifurcated penis of the male and bifurcated vagina of the female...

 

I have never before read of "forked reproductive organs". 😮