The presence of scent glands is widespread in many animals. The same is the case for opossums. Like most other animals, opossums have a red-brown gland on their chest and between their front legs. But do opossums spray Urine?
Opossums spray Urine from their pouch region. They also rub their glands on a tree trunk. They do so to mix the scent with droppings as well as Urine. This is done to mark the territory of opossums.
In this article, we will look at the reasons for this particular behavior and why opossums depict this from place to place.
What Does Opossum Spray Smell Like?
Opossum spray is not one of the ideal smells you want to expose your nostrils. Opossums emit smells that resemble dead, rotting animals. Possums are known to ‘play possum or play dead’ whenever any threat is near.
The odor is so repulsive for some predators that they cannot even withstand it. Some animals mistake opossums for being dead and pass by without even fully noticing it.
What Does Opossum Urine Smell Like?
There is a strong ammonia smell which is caused by the Urine of opossums. This foul smell is also emitted when the opossums are playing dead in front of their predators. This serves as a lifeline ticket for the opossums to stay alive.
However, the opossum spray is a liquid that one needs to keep away from as it can have ticks, fleas, and diseases like leptospirosis.
Does Opossum Pee Stink?
Yes, opossum pee stinks very severely. The Urine is yellow. It is similar to the mammalian Urine. However, the stains that it leaves behind are dark. However, opossum pee is more pungent than most animals. It can be smelled from afar.
Do Opossums Spray Scent?
The opossums do not spray as much as skunks do. However, opossums also emit a foul-smelling liquid called their Urine.
It does not have a scent, but rather it has a very stinking smell. This is done for two main reasons:
- To keep the predators away for as long as possible
- To keep mark, the territory of an opossum
Both of these serve advantageous for the opossums as they can be kept safe and alive. There is no fear of the attack from the predators. Moreover, the territory can be retained.
Does Human Urine Repel Opossum?
No, the Urine of humans is not enough to repel an opossum away as humans are not predators of opossums. Its own predator’s Urine can only repel an opossum. In this case, opossums get scared away from a fox’s Urine.
If an opossum smells a fox’s Urine in the vicinity, it runs away to the other side. It is out of fear of the opossums being caught by a fox and being eaten by them.
Does Opossum Urine Kill Plants?
It is not their Urine that kills plants, but rather, it is the opossums’ behavioral activities that kill them. The most common type of destruction caused by an opossum is:
1) Uprooting the plants to dig holes as their hideouts
2) Leaving their dropping behind as repellants, so no animals come near the crops.
In regions where the opossum population is so much more, for instance, in Australia, they carry out a mass killing of opossums to keep their fields away from destruction by opossum activities.
Do Opossums Pee Where They Sleep?
Generally, opossums use their urine spray or dropping to mark territory and keep their predators away. However, opossums will not pee or excrete fecal matter while in a place where they have to take a nap.
They pee at a distant site from where they can sleep. It is also done to misguide any predator, mistaking the predator into thinking that the opossum was here while, in actuality, it is not.
Do Opossums Pee When Scared?
It is often read that some animals pee when they are scared. The same is the case for opossums. In the world of opossums, it is commonly called’ Playing Opossum’ for the opossums are clever enough to play lifeless in front of their predators.
This is their primary strategy to escape a predator attack. However, opossums are threatened, they can manifest each of the following behavioral characteristics:
1) They can run
2) They can growl
3) They can belch
4) They can produce a urine spray
5) They can defecate
Do Opossums Secrete?
For opossums, it is an involuntary response. Opossums produce Urine through the action of their glands. Moreover, an opossum’s body becomes stiff, it closes its eyes, and foul-smelling liquid starts generating from the glands of the opossum.
However, there are many other scents that an opossum produces.
Do Opossums Have An Odor?
Opossums are identified based on their odor. For instance:
1) Musky Odor
A male opossum produces it in the breeding season. This shows that an opossum is ready for the mating process to begin. This also attracts the females toward the males. This particular odor is secreted from the sternal gland of the males.
2) Female opossum also produces a characteristic odor to attract males towards themselves during the breeding season
3) There is a release of a particular odor by opossums from the anal glands. The purpose of anal glands is to rub them across surfaces that want to be marked by an opossum. This usually happens when the opossums are scared. Besides this secretion, an opossum may also urinate or defecate under stress.
Conclusion
Opossums spray urine and leave behind their droppings for the purpose of marking their territory. Opossums are nocturnal and usually come out at night to look for food. They need a safe place to return in the morning.
Usually, the opossums dig dens or find burrows of other animals to sleep during the day. However, it is best if they mark their land to keep themselves not only safe but also secure from the predators lurking during the day as well as night.
References
- Opossum Facts- Queensland Government
- Opossums Urine detection