Opossum With Rare Disease Was Saved From Cold Harsh Wilderness And Put Into Nice Warm Sweaters

“Playing possum” is an expression that’s used when someone fakes death. This possum wouldn’t be playing if it hadn’t been for one concerned Samaritan that dropped her off at South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (SPWRC). An opossum named Peach has a rare hair-loss condition called alopecia, which causes her to shed all of her body hair. And since fur is key at regulating body temperature, she wouldn’t have survived the cold of the looming winter.

Since she doesn't have any fur, her pouch, a distinctive feature for marsupials, will be very easy for everyone to see. Fun educational fact: opossums are the only species of marsupial living in North America. Image credits: SPWRC