Many confuse possums and opossums, thinking that they're the same animal – however, that's not really the case, as the animals actually live in different countries. Opossums reside in North and South America, whereas possums are native to Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand and lastly China. Even though both animals are marsupials, possums are the lucky ones as they're more closely related to kangaroos (not that it really interferes with their cuteness).

Besides, the word "opossum" is borrowed from a Powhatan language – a language that was spoken by the Virginia Algonquian tribe and in essence meant "white dog or dog-like beast". Later on, a British botanist thought that possums looked fairly similar to opossums, which is why they were given such a similar name.

The animals are both nocturnal and carry their babies in a pouch, though if you look at their tails, opossums have a scaly and nearly hairless tail, whilst possums have a bushy one, almost squirrel-like. Also, possums are herbivores, meaning they are all about the greens, however opossums have a broad diet, as they'll eat anything from fruits, to carrion meat, to cat and dog food that people mistakenly or deliberately leave on their porches.

Now, talking about their famous protective reactions, opossums usually hiss – though when they understand that this particular technique is failing, they'll play dead. In fact, this reaction is not voluntarily and is an instinctive response.

Moreover, the confusion between the two is very much real – as the word opossum is used for more than 100 different species of marsupials across America, and the word possum is applied for a group of about 67 species found in Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. American folks often don't realize that the name of the animal living there is opossum, causing this teeny-tiny confusion.

Despite all these differences and a few similarities, the animals are extremely cute, though opossums have been known to attack humans. The animals can grow up to a medium dog's size, are lucky owners of sharp claws and also have about 50 teeth that, presumably, are just as sharp. Apart from hissing and entering the catatonic state when encountering some sort of danger, opossums will also secrete a green smelly fluid that will make the "playing dead" seem more believable.

Essentially saying, the animals have a great and well-thought plan of potentially saving themselves when something goes south. Moreover, even though the creatures have a bit of a reputation, they can absolutely do some good for your garden by eating all the unwanted and venomous pests – so if you see one in your neighborhood, maybe think about leaving it alone.

Essentially saying, the animals have a great and well-thought plan of potentially saving themselves when something goes south. Moreover, even though the creatures have a bit of a reputation, they can absolutely do some good for your garden by eating all the unwanted and venomous pests – so if you see one in your neighborhood, maybe think about leaving it alone.

Turns out, the animals are not only adorable but are often misjudged by us, when they're actually quite helpful to the environment. Let us know if you've already happened to befriend your local possum or opossum. And now that you know about their benefits, next time you see it sticking out of your trash can, maybe give it some dog food for being so great.