00:00 This episode is about possums and was inspired by a persistent Instagram follower who requested it.

05:17 The Virginia Possum is the only marsupial native to the United States and is the predecessor of marsupials in Australia.

10:35 The Virginia possum spends most of its time on the ground and climbs trees occasionally, while the bushtail possums in Australia live high up in trees; the confusion between the two species was caused by Joseph Banks in the 1770s.

15:37 Possums have a hard time surviving in cold weather, but their range has expanded as humans have moved further north and provided them with warm places to live in the colder months.

20:28 Possums have a forked penis and one of the smallest brain to body ratios in mammals, but they are surprisingly intelligent and perform well in tests involving food.

25:44 Possums are found in various habitats, including dense forests and cities, and they have a diverse diet that includes mammals, worms, insects, birds, reptiles, seeds, fruits, and garbage; they are often unfairly blamed for knocking over garbage cans, but they are actually just scavenging after other animals, and if you see a possum during the day, it does not mean it's rabid, as they can find food anytime and are unlikely to catch or transfer rabies; possums are clean animals and are great to have around because they eat ticks, critters, vermin, slugs, beetles, rotten fruit, and carrion, making them nature's sanitary engineers.

30:27 Possums can travel up to 15 miles in a few weeks, but keeping them as pets is not recommended because they need a lot of exercise; they gather twigs and leaves using their opposable thumbs and carry them to their dens using their tail; possums can hang from their tails, but they do not sleep upside down like bats; possums have short lifespans of about 2 years in the wild and have large litters, but not all babies are able to be fed by the mother.

35:34 Possums are born with a sense of smell and gravity, allowing them to climb upward and latch onto a nipple in their mother's pouch; they make quiet sounds like clicks and hisses, and when threatened, they may play dead as a last resort, but they are actually bluffing and just want to be left alone.

40:30 The hosts share personal stories about encounters with possums, including one where a possum got stuck on a porch and hissed at them.

45:28 Possums were sometimes eaten by indigenous tribes in North and South America because they tasted like pig, and they were easy to catch and prepare for meals.

50:20 Possums are highly resistant to snake venom and have a special protein that encapsulates and deactivates the venom when it enters their bloodstream, which may be a potential cure for snake bites.

55:30 No relevant information or summary can be extracted from this section as it contains unrelated content and ads.