Seeing a possum
Meet a possum up close and you may face an open mouth full of teeth and a long hiss. It is largely a bluff from an animal that would rather not fight, and people put on similar shows when they are afraid.
What it may mean
Corner a possum in the garage and you get a show: mouth wide open, 50 small sharp teeth on display, drool, a hiss and a low growl. It looks fearsome and almost never ends in a bite. The display is a bluff, and if it fails, the animal falls into its famous faint. Either way, fighting is the last thing it wants. People put on the same show more often than they admit. A sharp email, a cold face, a loud argument can be the open mouth of someone who is frightened and hoping you will back away. A possum crossing your path at night is a fitting cue to look at where you bare your teeth when what you really feel is fear, and whose snarling you might read more gently. Opossums have a mixed reputation in folk belief and an excellent one among gardeners, so the reading depends on who is telling it.
Depending on how you saw it
A possum ambling across the road after dark
Opossums wander widely after dark, rarely staying in one den for long, and roads lie across many of their routes. The one you met is almost certainly just moving on. Where are you a temporary visitor right now, and how lightly are you passing through?
One hissing at you with its mouth open
Back away slowly and give it a clear exit; a cornered opossum wants out, not a fight. The scary display ends when the threat leaves. Which person in your life bares their teeth mainly when they feel trapped?
A possum eating fallen fruit or snails
Opossums eat windfall fruit, snails, insects, carrion and garden pests. They clean up what others leave behind. Who tidies up the messes in your circle without fuss, and do they get any thanks?
A possum lying still and seeming dead
An opossum that seems dead after a scare is in a faint-like state and in most cases recovers on its own within minutes or hours. Leaving it alone in a calm spot is the best help. When did stepping back give someone the space to get up again?
Why it happens in nature
The Virginia opossum has 50 teeth, more than any other North American land mammal. When threatened it first hisses, growls and bares its teeth, and if that fails it may collapse into a faint-like state for minutes to hours. Opossums are nocturnal wanderers and eat a wide range of foods, including insects, snails, fruit and carrion.
To reflect on
Where do you show your teeth when what you really feel is fear?