They don't? :p - Rodfather

Where did someone believe this... so that I might mock them without mercy. - Jason Huebel

funny story.....actually I don't have a funny story but that sounds like how someone would start one if they indeed had one. - Geoff Schultz

Fuck knows? - Johnny Worthington from iPhone

Apparently it's one of the common...erm...myths about Opossum in the south and eastern US. (there's also a myth that female opossum reproduce by sprouting their young from their backs. No, I'm serious) I don't know how widespread these myths are anymore, but apparently there are still some who believe. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

@Johnny Good one - nearly missed it. - Warren Butler

Its the SOUTH no further explanation required. - Geoff Schultz

I have lived in the South all my life, and I have *never* heard any of those "common" myths. We're not all uncultured fucks down here, you know. - Joey Gibson

They do carry their young on their backs - Rodfather

I've never heard that, either, and I've lived in the south all my life, too, and also seen plenty of possums. - Trish R

People in the south? I thought they just put leashes on them and put rubber nipples on top of the bottles labled XXX for them and every now and then administered swift justice with the back of their hand on the swiss cake roll isle of the walmart. - Geoff Schultz

Geoff, that's armadillos. - Trish R

I knew it was one or the other. Thanks Trish :D - Geoff Schultz

We buy them clothes and dress them up, too. They guard the outhouse when we have to make late night trips outside and forget to light the lantern. - Trish R

birds mate by rubbing their asses together, why not possums and nostrils? there's weirder things out there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... - Tyler Gillies

Those aren't "asses," Tyler, they're "cloacas." - Christopher A Carr

I never said people in the South were uncultured fucks. I didn't imply that at all. Thx for the words in my mouth though. They tasted like sunshine and unicorns. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

At one point though these were widely-believed myths in the South and Southeastern US. There are even paintings depicting such statements. I'll mail you my mammalogy textbook if you don't believe me. As I said above...*ahem*...I don't know how widespread the myths are anymore. But apparently there are still a few believers in our midst. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

In Seattle, we call them opossums, although I'm not sure any live up here. I've seen them at the zoo. - Rochelle

@Tyler: yyyyyeah, the difference would be that the reproductive organs are at the south end of the birds (and they rub because the male has to spread his semen on the female's rear feathers to begin the process of fertilization...male birds don't have external genitalia). I think an opossum would be shocked to learn that its ovaries are actually in their nose. While I haven't studied every mammal there is on the planet, I'm pretty sure that there are none whose bodies are built in such a fashion. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

@Rochelle: Yeah, Opossum is the proper name (or really, Virginia Opossum, if we're getting technical - Didelphis virginiana). I just shortened it because I was lazy. :) Fun fact - the Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial found in North America. And yes, they do live up in Washington. :) Their range extends up to the southern part of Ontario AFAIK. - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

LULZ - "Thx for the words in my mouth though. They tasted like sunshine and unicorns." +1 qamaverbillion Amanda. - Yolanda

I live in the south and everyone down here is an uncultured fuck. - Andrizzle Gizzle

Everyone? Thanks. - Steve Lowe

@Amanda, I was responding to Geoff's "Its the SOUTH no further explanation required" which does imply that we're all a bunch of knuckle-draggers. Didn't mean to put words in your mouth, even if they did taste like unicorns. - Joey Gibson

OMG, I see. I'm so sorry! I was being first-thing-in-the-morning cranky and didn't figure it out. LOL Obviously I need to have at least one cup of coffee before getting on the internet. :D - tinypants - Hagitha of FF

Rochelle: I believe that, while the New World variety of the critter is spelled "opossum," the initial vowel is *not* generally pronounced. And yes, there are tons of the creatures in the outskirts of Seattle. In Portland, they can be found eating cat food on your porch right in downtown. - Christopher A Carr

I concur with Mr Carr. I see them all the time here in Portland when I'm out in my cab. - Christopher Harley

Nasal Sex? Does that lead to having a runny nose? - Ian May

Wait, what? I thought it was through their ears... - Mike Nayyar