What is considered beautiful and what is considered ugly? It’s easy to look at a fluffy bear, a sleepy owl, or an energetic fox and immediately see the beauty in the animal before you. But let’s be honest here, there are some animals that simply don’t look as attractive to most people as others do. Case in point, the Opossum.

Ever since I was just a kid, I’ve been fascinated with Opossums. As North America’s only marsupial (mammals that partially raise their young in pouches), these odd looking mammals sometimes seem a bit out of place when you manage to find one. And that’s exactly what I was hoping to do on this beautiful spring day. 

I had set out early that morning in search of these secretive marsupials. Opossums are omnivores, as such, they’ll take advantage of just about any food source that is easily available. I’d noticed the previous couple of days that this particular area had a healthy amount of grapefruit trees. Many of these giant yellow balls of citrus had fallen to the ground and were just begging to be eaten by a hungry Opossum! Making my way through the trees, I soon began to see signs of life nearly everywhere I looked. Squirrels, Armadillos, Raccoons, Owls and Songbirds moved around amidst the tree-filled swamp. But still no sign of Opossums.

I continued on my way and came to a particularly thick patch of trees and vegetation, and that’s when I heard it, a slight rustle in the underbrush. Pausing, I looked for the creature that was causing the slight disturbance. Staring intently at the moving plants I caught a glimpse of some white, and then some black, and then a tail that looked just like a rat’s. Finally, that unique face appeared, just what I had been hoping for! The Opossum emerged from the thick brush and came out into the open, smelling the air intently in its never-ending search for food. I took some pictures and then lowered the camera and admired the beautiful animal in front of me. Fluffy bears and energetic foxes are definitely cute and photogenic, but this strange animal staring back at me was uniquely beautiful in its own special way!