Opossums, Ticks, Ghost Moose

Trail cam snaps photo of an opossum eating ticks off of a willing deer’s head! Edit: PHOTO by Greg Swann, who told VWC that indeed the opossum was nibbling ticks!
Opossums can eat up to 5000 ticks in a 2-3 month period, and are resistant to rabies due to their low body temperature. Excellent allies in curbing this particular Lyme disease vector. Vermont Wildlife Coalition

 It is too bad opossums and moose do not mix. Moose have been devastated by ticks. I was reading somewhere last week that they have killed the moose off in many southern parts of the range. I think the paper said the average Maine moose has 100,000+ ticks. Moose have not adapted to grooming ticks off like deer.

Ghost Moose Maine

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A still from a Facebook video

A moose car collision. Never a good thing for either party. I almost clipped one in Northern Ontario coming back from SK once.

More on Youtube.

This is a big issue in the Northeast. New Brunswick has moose fences along highways that cost big money.

1 comment

  1. So, Brer Possum eats ticks; he also eats copperheads and a full menu of other venomous snakes. And still he gets no respect.

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