What Does “A Passel of Opossums” Mean?

“Passel” is an old, informal American English word meaning a large, somewhat disorganized group, historically used loosely for people or animals alike, and it fits opossums well. North America’s only marsupial doesn’t form genuine social groups; opossums are solitary animals for virtually their entire adult lives, coming together only briefly to mate.

The closest thing to a real “passel” of opossums is a mother carrying her joeys, first in her pouch and later riding on her back once they’ve grown too large to nurse inside it, a sight that can look like a genuine group even though it’s really one animal and her offspring. Opossums are also famous for “playing possum,” an involuntary, fear-triggered response where the animal goes limp and appears dead, a defense mechanism entirely unrelated to social behavior but a memorable trait regardless.

Example: “A passel of opossums, really just a mother and her half-grown joeys, ambled across the yard at dusk.”

Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Opossums Called?