I run every morning...on work days that means I'm out at 5:00am, and the sun isn't up yet. I carry a Streamlight but typically only use it when cars are coming so that they can see me. There's usually enough illumination from ambient light for me to see to run. This morning was actually better than normal as the huge supermoon was bright enough to cast shadows.

I was running through one of those shadowy areas when I saw something white in the road in front of me. Thinking it was a bag or something I just kind of straddled it. As soon as my front foot hit the ground, the damn thing moved. I simultaneous jumped about 6 feet in the air, clenched my rectum to keep poop from coming out, and popped on the Strion DS. 700 Lumens illuminated one of these scurrying for the weeds on the side of the road (not my photo):



I've had a bunch of animal encounters while running (there was actually a herd of whitetails just down the road from this guy this morning), but this was by far the closest. Thankfully it wasn't a racoon or a snake or something. Damn thing just sat there and waited for me to step on it...it's no wonder they get run over!

Ain't he handsome? . Being as you are a runner, you could catch them, if you wanted to. They are slow. Just grab the tail and pick him up. He can't do anything. I read they eat tics and, snake anti venom is made from the opossum. So they are a good critter. Part ewok and part Tasmanian devil..

We see quite a few of them. Sometimes, when I let the dogs out at 10:00, there will be one under the bird feeder. Usually they’ll run off when the light comes on, but sometime I have to go out and run them off. They can hustle pretty good when they want to.

Years ago I nearly booted a porcupine on an early morning run in Northern Michigan. It was a really relaxed run and I was kind of zoned out. I didn't even notice it until I damn near stepped on it.

My grandfather had several trails through our woods where he placed "rabbit boxes" out and he had about a dozen of those things set out. He would catch these things about every third or fourth box!

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
Being as you are a runner, you could catch them, if you wanted to. They are slow. Just grab the tail and pick him up. He can't do anything. I read they eat tics and, snake anti venom is made from the opossum. So they are a good critter.

Uh yeah...no thanks! I know they eat ticks, and they're handy critters to have around in their natural environment, but I have no need or desire to put hands on one!

quote:

Years ago I nearly booted a porcupine on an early morning run in Northern Michigan. It was a really relaxed run and I was kind of zoned out. I didn't even notice it until I damn near stepped on it.

That woulda hurt!

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I simultaneous jumped about 6 feet in the air, clenched my rectum to keep poop from coming out, and popped on the Strion DS.

I LOL'ed

'Possums, raccoons, and the occasional black bear are regular night time visitors in our back yard. I would expect that if we lived out in the country, but we are in a gated community in a city / suburban area adjacent to the Orlando city line.

Calling possums opossums makes them sound Irish.

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Originally posted by Jim Shugart:

Calling possums opossums makes them sound Irish.

Only if you spell it with an o'postrophe.

Man that's an ugly kitty

I see quite a few of them, but as roadkill.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

I see quite a few of them, but as roadkill.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: To show the 'possum that it can be done.

Many years ago, I had just moved to Illinois. One night when I pulled into the driveway, the headlights briefly shone on a HUGE Rat! The wife and I actually waited in the car for a few minutes so that the "rat" would have time to go away!!

The next day , when I told my story at work, I was a laughingstock,.... everyone there knew it was just a "possum". I was occasionally teased for months over that !

We have an abundance of opossums in the neighborhood. This morning's encounter was far from my only one. When my daughter was about 2 years old, we were coming home from an evening Christmas Eve service at our church and one of the things ran out in front of our van. There was no time to stop, and it got run over. Full on run-over...front and rear tires, thump-thump!

I went around the block to see if it needed put down, and the dang thing was still lying in the road. I figured it was a goner, but as I pulled up to it it stood up, looked at me and hissed, then ran off into the neighbor's yard. Dang things are tough!

A few months later we were driving through my in-law's neighborhood in Florida, and they have speed bumps. I hit one, with the associated thump-thump, and my daughter pipes up from the back seat, "Possum daddy, possum!"

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
'Possums, raccoons, and the occasional black bear are regular night time visitors in our back yard. I would expect that if we lived out in the country, but we are in a gated community in a city / suburban area adjacent to the Orlando city line.

Pretty sure I used to see, when trucking to south Florida, armadillos at night.You have these down there correct?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

I see quite a few of them, but as roadkill.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: To show the 'possum that it can be done.

Why did the possum cross the road?

To show the armadillo it could sometimes be done.

quote:

Pretty sure I used to see, when trucking to south Florida, armadillos at night.You have these down there correct?

I know they have them in Alabama, and the panhandle. "Possum on the half shell!"

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:

Pretty sure I used to see, when trucking to south Florida, armadillos at night.You have these down there correct?

Correct. They taste like chicken.

Possum, the other white meat.