I'm just a Paleobiology major trying to share the beauty of the past, praise silt, and all of its wonders yet to be uncovered.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
![Living Fossils - Opossum
Let’s talk about these little garbage diggers. I, personally, think they are quite cute, when they aren’t all hostile or splattered on the road.
Opossums, commonly and wrongfully referred to as possums, are omnivorous marsupials of the western hemisphere. The Virginia Opossum (pictured above) was the first to be named an opossum, it’s name comes from the Virginia Algonquian word aposoum, meaning “white dog,” or “white beast/ animal.” They belong to the Family Didelphidae, in the order Didelphimorphia, which are marsupials that are about the size of a house cat at the largest, and at the smallest, about the size of a mouse. They tend to be partially arboreal and, again, omnivorous, though there are always exceptions. Most have long snouts and a narrow braincase, along with a prominent sagittal crest. They are plantigrade, and have an opposable digit on their hind feet with no claw. They have prehensile tails, quite like lemurs. Like all marsupials, the females have a pouch, and all of their fur is made up of awn hair.
Pictured Above: Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
By Cody Pope (Wikipedia:User:Cody.pope) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5q2i9Lh6N1qhp1q0o1_500.jpg)
Living Fossils - Opossum
Let’s talk about these little garbage diggers. I, personally, think they are quite cute, when they aren’t all hostile or splattered on the road.
Opossums, commonly and wrongfully referred to as possums, are omnivorous marsupials of the western hemisphere. The Virginia Opossum (pictured above) was the first to be named an opossum, it’s name comes from the Virginia Algonquian word aposoum, meaning “white dog,” or “white beast/ animal.” They belong to the Family Didelphidae, in the order Didelphimorphia, which are marsupials that are about the size of a house cat at the largest, and at the smallest, about the size of a mouse. They tend to be partially arboreal and, again, omnivorous, though there are always exceptions. Most have long snouts and a narrow braincase, along with a prominent sagittal crest. They are plantigrade, and have an opposable digit on their hind feet with no claw. They have prehensile tails, quite like lemurs. Like all marsupials, the females have a pouch, and all of their fur is made up of awn hair.
Pictured Above: Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
By Cody Pope (Wikipedia:User:Cody.pope) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
Tanystropheus (long-necked one) has, since its discovery, has confused scientists about how it led its life with such a neck. Scarf shopping must have been impossible, that neck is as tall as a man! It’s neck had from anywhere between 8 and 12 extremely elongated vertebrae, with a chinese species having a possibility of 27. The neck bone’s connected to the neck bone, the neck bone’s connected to the neck bone, the neck bone’s connected to the neck bone, and so on and so forth. We can tell the difference between sexes because of extra tail bones in certain specimens that are speculated to support a brood pouch for raising young (kind of like a marsupial). It is unknown what kind of lifestyle Tanystropheus had, one specimen found in 2006 was so well preserved that there were traces of skin found with overlapping, non-rectangular scales. The aquatic sediments in which it was found, combined with that enormous neck, have led some to believe that it is an aquatic creature, but its feet are better formed for terrestrial lifestyles. As such, it is hypothesized that juveniles, which had more varied teeth, originally led a terrestrial lifestyle, which then gave way to an aquatic lifestyle, which may have connected to a change in diet (i.e. fish).
