Many people consider the United States opossum revolting. With its naked tail and motley fur, it looks like a giant rat. While the mighty Florida panther and grizzly bear fight for survival, the opossum is doing better than ever. When North America was colonized by Europeans, the opossum ranged no farther north than Pennsylvania. Today, it lives as far north as southern Canada and ranges west to the Pacific Coast.
Cold winters seem to be the only thing that can stop the opossum.
If it should ever evolve the fine fur of a beaver, it might spread into Alaska. Sourdough or not, if the United States were to adopt a national animal, the opossum would be the obvious choice. Though it thrives near people, the opossum has become a symbol of the rural South. To be really cool, you should follow Georgia's lead and use the term 'possum, rather than opossum. Though Florida doesn't yet have an official 'possum, it did proclaim an annual 'Possum Day in 1982.