Definition of "opossum" []

• Any of various nocturnal, usually arboreal marsupials of the family Didelphidae, especially Didelphis marsupialis of the Western Hemisphere, having a thick coat of hair, a long snout, and a long prehensile tail. See Regional Note at possum. (noun)
• Any of several similar marsupials of Australia belonging to the family Phalangeridae. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The penis of the male opossum is bifurcated or forked."
• "The common opossum is the size of a house cat, with a long, pointed nose, round ears, short legs, and is predominantly grey in color."
• "This endemic opossum is found in this ecoregion and others in dry forests in northern Colombia and Venezuela."