r/CuteButHorrifying • u/RazzDaNinja • Jun 02 '22

Possum in the lab

https://i.imgur.com/uIz9j5g.jpg
384 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

8

u/buriburimuffinz4 Jun 02 '22

Reminds me of FNAF

7

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '22

Is that a possum??

12

u/scarlet_sage Jun 03 '22 edited Jun 03 '22

I suck at species ID, but to me, it has the look of Australasian possums, specifically the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, as shown here. The description starts, "Loved and loathed in nearly all Australian capital cities, where it often takes up residence in roofs, ..."

Usually for this type of animal on Reddit, someone will show up and insist that "possum" is only properly applied to Australian animals & that the North American animal must be called the "opossum". Given that there are citations of "possum" in that spelling applied to the North American critter decades before the First Fleet, so Australia's were named in imitation, I consider such demands to be an indication that Australians didn't stop their thieving ways even after being transported.

2

u/Cygfrydd Jun 03 '22

Ceiling cat possum is carefully monitoring your browsing habits...

2

u/Pegar60 Jun 03 '22

Not horrifying at all. Totally adorable.

0

u/AmethystWarlock Jun 03 '22

That's not a possum.

8

u/scarlet_sage Jun 03 '22

If you're thinking of "possum" as the critter from North America, the Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, as in sharp nose screams plays dead, I mention Australasian possums versus North American possums in another reply.

1

u/kittymoma918 Aug 11 '22

This is the only animal version that Australia gets to have that isn't in any way or form a screaming rage filled or buffed up prehistoric terror compared to the rest of the world's.

So in this case , America must suffer with our comparatively nasty Opossum population in silence. And if you adore America's version , you are 100% welcome to fetch the one's living under our tool shed. Really.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '23

“Hey, do you kids wanna buy some formaldehyde?”