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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 17, 2005 Since you asked Possums aren’t native critters We don’t know if he is full of hot air but he is correct about possums, B.J. We reached deep into the SYA pouch to contact Steve Niemela, assistant district wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Possums aren’t native to Oregon — they are native to the East Coast," he said. "We consider them an exotic species. They are pretty well established here now." Although there is no question that the toothy creatures hitched a ride with humanoids, it’s unknown precisely how they were introduced, he said. One school of thought is that the marsupial was brought in for fur, he said. Others have suggested they were brought by Southern residents heading West during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, introduction of an exotic species can lead to the extinction of native species that depend on the same habitat and food sources, he noted. Advertisement They have been known to be a food source for some folks, he said. "I used to catch them when I worked for a critter control agency in Florida and people would ask me if they could have one to eat," he said. Do they taste like chicken? "I wouldn’t know about that," he replied. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s