Perhaps you've gone to call in your puppy dog at night, only to find a creature with a long pink tail waddling across your backyard? That clumsy thing is an opossum!
Oh, and I'm sure you've had the unpleasant experience of driving down the road, only for a horrible smell to fill your car. No, it's not dad's lunchtime burrito coming back to haunt you, it's a skunk's spray!
These wild creatures are usually considered pests. They like to get into trashcans, dig around in the yard, or chew up belongings that are left outside. However, they're all very important parts of our ecosystem!
Today we're getting a visit from these three critters; they'll talk about the neat things they do, and teach us why we should treat them with kindness and respect.
Want to make your own trash critter to interview at home? You can reuse old paper lunch bags, shopping bags, or cardboard to create your new friend. Just download our puppet templates, cut out the shapes, and glue or tape them onto your choice of base. You can use all kinds of different materials.
Don't have a printer at home? Draw or paint your own critter -- it'll still be a great friend to have!
Click the image of your favorite critter (or the links below) to download the puppet templates:
Want to know more about these neat animals? Visit our eSources Gale in Context or World Book Online; both of these resources offer a lot of great information about tons of topics, including animals.
Be sure to check out our catalog, too, for more books about raccoons, opossums, and skunks... or click on some of our favorites below!
Even though we can't keep these animals as pets, we can still give them love from afar!
Remember, if a critter ever causes too much trouble or seems like it might be sick, let a grown-up know so that they can call a wildlife services employee for help! You can find more information about wildlife services at the UF/IFAS Wildlife Extension website.