This adorable baby opossum named Ellie will melt your heart. Baby Opposums are some of the most joy-sparking little critters I've seen. Known as joeys, these tiny marsupials are full of surprises from the moment they're born.
Baby opossums, like their marsupial cousins the kangaroo and koala, are born incredibly small and underdeveloped. They are about the size of a honeybee when first born. Shortly after birth, the joey crawls, without help, into its mother's pouch. There, it will latch onto a teat and stay cozy in the pouch for about two months, nursing and growing in a warm, protected environment.
Once the joeys outgrow the pouch, they graduate to riding on their mother's back. It's not uncommon to see a mother opossum carrying up to 13 little ones as she forages for food, each clinging to her fur for dear life.
By the time they're around three months old, the young opossums are ready to strike out on their own. They begin eating solid foods, such as fruits or insects, like the little joey in this video. It looks like she's smiling as she eats, and I can't get over the cute little chomping noises she makes.
Previously:
• Human and opossum are best friends
• These adorable opossums have mastered their exercise wheel!
• Opossum 'cake bandit' recovering after eating whole cake
• An adorable opossum named Maggie receives the gift of mobility from 'Walkin' Pets'
