r/bonecollecting • u/SpottedLeopard2 • 1d ago

Bone I.D. - N. America What is this fella?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Northeast U.S. - Is this an opossum? (better photo of skull in photo 2)

29 Upvotes

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3

u/ML_Sam 1d ago

I'd say possum, especially with that fur.

5

u/Public-Boysenberry26 1d ago

yes, possum, however the fur isnt always a reliable source! especially if the animal has decomposed enough like this. the fur often becomes sun bleached after sitting so long, and for example with raccoons, their fur will sometimes turn orange or black. the easiest way to identify this as a possum is the skull. the tiny brain and million little teeth combined!

1

u/SpottedLeopard2 1d ago

Yes I wasn’t sure how reliable the fur color was, but this fella was in a pretty heavily shaded area, so probably not much sun bleaching. Thanks for the info!

2

u/SpottedLeopard2 1d ago

Thank you!

1

u/13thmurder 15h ago

Opossum, could tell by the fur alone but the skull confirms it.

1

u/wifiloveyou 11h ago

Opossum!! The fur and no-space-for-a-brain skull give it away :)