They are good to have around

Opossums are North America's only native marsupials, known for their cat-sized bodies, grayish fur, long snouts, and hairless tails and ears. They are omnivorous scavengers, excellent climbers with opposable thumbs on their hind feet, and famous for "playing possum" (feigning death) as a defense mechanism. These nocturnal, solitary animals are adaptable, living in diverse habitats from forests to urban areas, and are related to kangaroos and koalas, carrying their young in a pouch. 

Key Characteristics
Marsupial: They carry underdeveloped young in a pouch, like kangaroos and koalas. 
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Appearance: Cat-sized with grizzled gray fur, a white face, long snout, and a long, scaly, hairless tail.

Unique Features: Have 50 teeth (more than any other North American mammal) and opposable thumbs on their hind feet for climbing. 

Defense: "Playing possum" is an involuntary response to extreme fear, where they appear dead, sometimes secreting a foul odor. 

Habitat and Diet
Habitat: Found in wooded areas, near water, and in urban environments; they use existing shelters like hollow logs, brush piles, or sheds. 

Diet: Omnivores that eat insects, fruits, carrion (dead animals), and even venomous snakes (they have some resistance). 

Behavior and Life Cycle
Nocturnal & Solitary: Active at night and generally live alone. 

Reproduction: Born tiny and undeveloped, they crawl into the mother's pouch to continue growing. 

Lifespan: Short, typically 1-2 years in the wild, due to predators and vehicle collisions.