I was driving the auto tour road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I spotted a group of vultures in a field. I stopped to see what had their attention, and that is when I found an opossum.
Wildlife Notes: Opossum Scent Checking
The opossum paused, lifted its head, and worked the air like it knew something was nearby. I had the wind in my favor, and it went back to searching for food.
That “opossum scent checking” moment is easy to miss if you are not watching closely. It is a quick stop, a few sniffs, then back to business.
What really made this frame for me was the expression and the teeth. The two fangs showed clearly, and they added a little attitude to an otherwise calm scene.
Opossums have a set of 50 teeth, which include four sharp, pointed incisors at the front of their mouth. The two largest of these teeth are their fangs, which are located at the front of their mouth on either side of their incisors. These fangs are more prominent and visible than the rest of their teeth, giving them a unique appearance.
Photography Notes
I shot this from the road edge and stayed as quiet as I could. I hand-held my camera and lens and worked fast while the opossum kept moving.
Gear Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: Canon RF 100-500 mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date and Time Taken: February 18, 2023 (10:50 A. M.)
- Exposure Mode: Manual
- Aperture: f8.0
- Shutter speed: 1/2000
- ISO: 640 (Auto)
- Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
- Focal Length: 254.0 mm
The light was bright enough for a fast shutter speed, which helped freeze small head movements during the sniffing.
Closing
This was a quick roadside stop, but it turned into one of my favorite opossum moments from the refuge. Sometimes the smallest behavior tells the biggest story.
Here is another photo I took of an Opossum: Opossum Searching For Food