Quote:
Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity
A common name isn't really wrong. People in one place might call something different than people somewhere else. Also:
pos·sum
noun
1. opossum.
2. Australian. any of various phalangers, especially of the genus Trichosurus.
~Maggot
|
Some people here in Canada
wrongfully call them "possums" too, not just Americans.
1. Possum is
not the common name.
2.The common name is
Virginia Opossum.
3. The scientific name is
Didelphis virginiana.
4. The Virginia Opossum is from the order
Didelphimoria, while Australian Possums belong to an entirely different order,
Diprotodontia.
5. Buy a field guide. You will not find one that says an Opossum is a Possum, since it is scientifically inaccurate.
I suppose you are one of those people who also calls salamanders 'lizards', boas 'pythons' and tortoises 'turtles'.
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