Animal Diversity Web lists the raccoon (Procyon lotor) in the order Carnivora. It places the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in the order Didelphimorphia, which it labels American marsupials. According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to North America.
The question says possum, but the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance describes true possums as marsupials of a separate order, native to Australia and New Guinea. It also says there are over 100 different opossum species. The comparison below is between the raccoon and the Virginia opossum.
Looks and size
Animal Diversity Web points to the raccoon’s black mask across the eyes and its bushy tail, which has anywhere from four to ten black rings, as its most distinguishable features. It adds that raccoons have five toes on both their forepaws and hindpaws. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance describes the Virginia opossum as having fur that is grey or whitish, a white face, a long pointy snout, round dark eyes and hairless ears, on a body the size of a cat.
Raccoons are stocky, and Animal Diversity Web says they generally weigh six to seven kilograms. Weight varies with habitat and region, it adds, and can range between 1.8 and 10.4 kg. Raccoon body length ranges from 603 to 950 mm, and their tails make up about 42% to 52% of their length, it adds, from 192 to 405 mm.
For the Virginia opossum, Animal Diversity Web adds that other published estimates suggest it may measure 33 to 55 cm in body length, with a tail 25 to 54 cm long. It calls the tails very long, tending to run about 93% of their head to body length.
Behavior and social life
Animal Diversity Web calls Virginia opossums famous for a defensive catatonic state that is commonly known as “going opossum”. It describes raccoons as primarily solitary, forming no real social groups other than a mother with her young.
Young and life span
On gestation, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance puts the raccoon at about 63 days, and it lists 1 to 7 cubs per birth. Adult male and female raccoons alike reach sexual maturity at around one year of age, it adds.
For the Virginia opossum, Animal Diversity Web says gestation lasts an extremely short 12 to 13 days, and 4 to 25 altricial young, described as “honey bee-sized”, are born. The average for females is about 8 pouch-young per litter. Opossum joeys reach sexual maturity at six to eight months of age, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Animal Diversity Web says raccoons that survive their youth may average 5 years of life in the wild, and a captive raccoon was recorded living 21 years. It calls the Virginia opossum’s lifespan fairly short, saying that wild individuals typically survive only about 1.5 to 2 years.
Habitat and conservation status
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Virginia opossums live in a variety of habitats, from deserts to wet meadows, though they prefer woodlands and thickets near a water source. They can be found at elevations from lowlands up to 3,000 meters.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance lists the raccoon as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Most opossum populations are stable, according to the same organization.