What kind of strange animal did I see?

Question

I dont have any photos so I will describe it.

It had grey hair on the body and white hair on the face.

Has pink nose and pink paws

It looked like a huuuge rat

I saw it last night when I went outside to take out the trash. It started walking away and when I shined a light on it it just collapsed with its mouth open. I went inside to get my camera but it was gone when I came back. What a weeeird animal. Is it a overgrown rat? A mutant??

Answer 1

it was most likely a possum (opossum)

stay away from it, their extremely dirty and gross, they like to hang around trash and dirty areas, such as trash cans. It was probably scavenging out your food when you saw it. keep an eye out and notify your local wildlife center if it starts knocking over your trash can or causing other damage. They may be able to relocate it. Also, do NOT try to touch it. Their aggressive and will bite, and they are likely to have rabies or other disease. The reason your possum collapsed was probably in fear of you, they have a tendency to play dead. Hope i helped!

http://www.urbanwildlifecontrol.com/imag...

Answer 2

it was definitely a opossum that u saw

Answer 3

Pretty sure it was a possum.  They're the only marsupial native to America, by the way.

Do a google image search under possum or opossum.  You'll see photos of him there.  I actually think they're cute.

Answer 4

sounds like an oppsoun man. keep away from those things, they aren't something to mess around with.  

Answer 5

It's an opossum

Answer 6

Definately a possum, it pretended to be dead in front of you that is their defense mechanism, here take a look at one : http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/pos...

Answer 7

yo mama, joking, lol.

sounds like a possum.

Answer 8

Anyways..if that's an opossum, please don't get near that thing.

I tried to catch it in my workplace and it ran very fast towards me, gave a good grip(deep scratches) on my fingers and a good bite on my hand.

It sux..

Answer 9

Virgina Opossum - It collapsed because it was playing possum (playing dead). Its a defense mechanism. Opossums are not known disease carriers. You need not try to avoid them. They are harmless. It was just looking for some food. Next time one falls over go pick it up by the tail and take a good look at it;^) Opossums have a very short life span. They most often never live past two or three years of age. And yes it is North America's only marsupial. Goes good with sweet potatoes roasted.

Answer 10

definetly a possum!

you never saw one or heard of one before?

theyre just like huge rats, that can be mean and they play dead often. if you ever see one laying outside and you think its dead, dont touch it or pick it up in a small dust pan, cause its still alive & if it bites you, you can get a disease..like raibees.

Answer 11

sounds like an opposum

Answer 12

The North American opossum is also unique in that it is the only mammal in the United States with a prehensile tail, which can be used for grasping like a hand. Young opossums sometimes hang by their tails, but when they grow up, they become too heavy for hanging. The opossum is the only mammal that has four fingers, and an opposable thumb on each of its hind feet that works like a human thumb. All nails are non-retractable, except for the thumb. This makes it possible for the opossum to pick up things or hang onto thin branches much better that most other mammals. The opossum is a cat-sized mammal that resembles a silver rat, with its naked ears, long scaly tail, and silver-tipped fur. The face of the opossum is almost pure white, with four rows of whiskers, a pink nose, and eyes like black shoe buttons. The average adult is 24 to 26 inches long, including the tail, and usually weighs between 6 to 12 pounds. The opossum is a passive animal, but looks ferocious when it displays all 50 teeth, drools, and hisses.

http://www.wildliferescueleague.org/repo...

Picture

http://blueoceanstrategy.typepad.com/pho...