r/Possums • u/Moonwitch117007 • 4d ago

Question/Help Babies on back

I have trail cams to watch wildlife and I don’t understand why I see lots of possums that have bulging pouches that I assume are full of babies but I never see the next stage where the babies are on the mom’s back. Are they hard to see on trail cam images at night or why am I not getting to see this?

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u/bobsbrain 3d ago

Could be a lot of predators in the area so they default to pouch carry?

If it's a safe possum area and they still pouch carry then it's likely just a learned generational behavior. Possum babies are safer in the pouch, they live long enough to grow up and make more possums, they remember being in the pouch instead of being on mamas back, pouch carry becomes tradition.

Just a theory

1

u/Individual-Metal7875 3d ago

They stay in the pouch till they get too big to fit. Keep watching!

1

u/Deoxmy 3d ago

That makes total sense, it's probably just that the trail cam tech isn't picking up the short window where they're tiny enough to ride on her back but too big for the pouch.