Some believe that possums and opossums are both the same animal. This is quite incorrect, however.



The "possum" of North America is just a shorter name for an opossum, but true possums are different from opossums, and not related at all, except by virtue of both animals being marsupials.

Possums belong to the order Diprotodontia and the suborder Phalangeriformes, while opossums belong to the order Didelphimorphia and the family Didelphidae.



Opossums are found only in North America, although there is a "water possum", also known as the yapok, which is found in central and South America.

True possums are found in New Guinea, Australia (including Tasmania), Sulawesi (Indonesia) and a few other small islands in the Pacific region. Although not native to New Zealand , the brush-tailed possum was introduced into that country over a century ago and has subsequently become a pest.

, the brush-tailed possum was introduced into that country over a century ago and has subsequently become a pest. The North American Opossum has a bare tail. All varieties of Australian possums have furry tails.

There are many varieties of possums in Australia (and New Guinea), including Gliders and the Cuscus. There are more limited species of the opossum.

Captain Cook's botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, named the Australian animal "Possum", referring to it as "an animal of the Opossum tribe" because he believed there was a physical resemblance.

Opossums were named by Captain John Smith in 1612. He took the name from an Algonquian (North American Indian) word.