Here's another picture from Sunday's farm scouting. The dogs found in a small hedge and Mountain was the first in. She didn't open up and bay, but all the dogs were interested and fighting to get in behind her. We pulled and staked them, and boxed Mountain directly under a broken-down barbed wire fence.
A quick two-foot dig, and we popped right between Mountain (who had to dig his way into the hole) and a small possum (who was hiding in the short dirt pipe just past the hole). I think Mountain only reached the possum after we dug in between them.
This little 'possum was released unharmed, but not before it defecated on Mountain who was standing right below him as this picture was being taken.
Possums are not "playing" when they "play possum." The catatonia commonly observed is an involuntary physical reaction to fear -- the possum "blows a fuse" from too much excitement. In 5 to 20 minutes the possum's nervous system will reset itself, but often not before the possum defecates and jettisons anal glands that stink so bad that any attacking animal is led to believe that the animal is dead and already foul with rot.
We placed this little fellow in the fork of a tree where he no doubt recovered before we were out of sight. For more on possums, click here.
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