I saw one on the road in Kansas. Squished. It was very weird.
Hey howdy there from SFO! [sip]
Only have a few minutes to catch my connecting flight... to San Diego...
Hmmm. possum on the half shell :-) 'Dillers are remarkable creatures. Their chief defense is leaping a foot or so into the air when they are startled. Guess it works okay in nature, but when crossing a road, it brings them up to the height of a automobile bumper. Sigh. Lose a lot of 'em that way.
They are or were used in Hanson's Disease, being about the only critter besides humans that can contract the disease. Also a good reason not to mess with sick or injured ones, one never knows for sure.
I saw a racoon that tangled with a high-voltage transformer today. Burnt to a crisp (the coon, not the transformer). Totally charcoal, flat on his back with legs sticking up in the air.