Opossum.
The other day I was laying in the sun on my back porch when out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked like a big rat scurrying past on the grass. I looked over and saw that it was an opposum. I was shocked as they are night animals. I grabbed my camera from the house, came back out and found it going under my back porch. I took some pictures. When I looked at the pictures, it looked like there were babies under the porch, so maybe this is a momma and she has her babies down there. My suspcions were confirmed when I read that, "during the spring or summer months a female opossum laden with young must spend more time foraging for food and may be seen during the day" (http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/frequently_asked_questions.htm).
This was not my first encounter with an opossum. About five years ago I was living two houses away from where I live now. An opossum climbed the 2 1/2 flights of stairs up to my flat to eat my cat's food. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing this really loud chomping and gnawing. I thought it was a monster, it was that loud and obnoxious. I was so freaked out. I went into the kitchen, found the opossum, and didn't know what to do! Finally after working up the nerve, I put some work gloves on and picked it up. By this point it had started playing dead and foaming at the mouth. I thought I had killed it, given it a heart attack or something! When I picked him up he was very dead-seeming, all stiff and what not. I brought him downstairs, put him on the grass and waited. A few minutes went by. The little guy "awoke", looked around, got on his feet and scampered off. Phew!
I read that...
"When threatened or harmed, they will 'play possum', mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. The lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. Many injured opossums have been killed by well-meaning people who find a catatonic animal and assume the worst. If you find an injured or apparently dead opossum, the best thing to do is leave it in a quiet place with a clear exit path. In minutes or hours, the animal will regain consciousness and escape quietly on its own." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum)
This was not my first encounter with an opossum. About five years ago I was living two houses away from where I live now. An opossum climbed the 2 1/2 flights of stairs up to my flat to eat my cat's food. I woke up in the middle of the night hearing this really loud chomping and gnawing. I thought it was a monster, it was that loud and obnoxious. I was so freaked out. I went into the kitchen, found the opossum, and didn't know what to do! Finally after working up the nerve, I put some work gloves on and picked it up. By this point it had started playing dead and foaming at the mouth. I thought I had killed it, given it a heart attack or something! When I picked him up he was very dead-seeming, all stiff and what not. I brought him downstairs, put him on the grass and waited. A few minutes went by. The little guy "awoke", looked around, got on his feet and scampered off. Phew!
I read that...
"When threatened or harmed, they will 'play possum', mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. The lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. Many injured opossums have been killed by well-meaning people who find a catatonic animal and assume the worst. If you find an injured or apparently dead opossum, the best thing to do is leave it in a quiet place with a clear exit path. In minutes or hours, the animal will regain consciousness and escape quietly on its own." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum)