When an early explorer in Australia first saw certain little furry animals in the forests, they somehow reminded him of opossums in England, so he just called them “possums.” But if he had watched them longer, he would have realized they weren’t opossums at all. Since then, different names have been given to them; some are known as lemurs, phalangers and colugos.
But one of these did keep the possum name and is now known as leadbeatter’s possum. It is an unusually pretty little animal, an adult being about six inches long with a ten-inch tail. It has soft, gray-brown fur on most of its body, but white at the throat, belly and lower parts of its legs. Black-shaded eyes are alert over a pointed, bright-red nose, and furry ears crown its head. It has a long, gray-brown tail and sharp claws and soft cushions on the toes, enabling it to run safely over smooth bark without a sound.
It is a great tree climber and, like most of its kind, can make long jumps between trees with its four legs spread out, to become a living kite. Its long, bushy tail acts as a rudder as it glides through the air.
This possum nests in holes in tree trunks where little ones are born. For several weeks they stay in their mother’s pouch until ready to follow her and learn how to gather food, mainly insects and the sweet gum of Acacia trees.
In parts of Australia there is a larger relative called the silver-gray bushtail possum. It is equally at home on the ground, where it walks with a swaggering style, or in trees, where it seems to take fearful chances in long glides - sometimes as much as 150 feet or a straight drop of 30 feet or more to the ground. Everything about them is on a larger scale than the leadbeatter’s. Instead of pointing upright, their big ears stand out on each side of their heads. Razor-sharp claws enable them to climb well and defend themselves very capably. Their calls are harsh, like a deep, barking cough.
The Bible tells us that the Lord God took pleasure in all His creation, so we can understand why He made so many different kinds of lemurs, phalangers and possums. We also know that He watches over each of them, for it is recorded in the Bible: “O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God!” (Psalm 36:67).
The Lord God is the only One in whom we can put our full trust. Another psalm says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:88It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8)). Have you put your trust in Him?
ML-10/15/2006