Florida's only marsupials, opossums are about the size of a house cat, have long naked tails, small ears and pink noses. If threatened, they may go limp and appear dead, hence the term, "playing possum". They are common in residential and suburban areas, and are mostly active at night.

Opossums are marsupial mammals with a long, pointed snout, whiskers on the face, and a long, pointed tail with a scaly texture. They are nocturnal (most active at night) and are omnivores (they eat both plants and meat). The young are born in a very immature state; babies live in the female's fur-lined pouch until they are relatively mature. Some opossums live in South and Central American rainforests. Only one opossum, the Virginia opossum, lives in North America.