If you live in the neighborhood below Berry Dugeo Hills near Burbank, you might occasionally see something the size of a cat near the trash cans at midnight.

First-time viewers often say, "Wow, why is this rat in America so big?" but this creature is not a rat.

It is the only marsupial in America, a relative of kangaroos, known as the opossum.

It is a nocturnal animal that appears in the streets of the LA area. Since there are no animals similar to opossums in Korea, many people mistakenly think, "The American rat is really big!" when they encounter one on the street.

Moreover, information shared among English-speaking residents is not well communicated within the Korean community, so while opossums are familiar neighbors to people living in America, they remain an unknown nighttime visitor to Korean immigrants.

Opossums are usually not seen because they are strictly nocturnal and extremely shy.

They only cautiously come out to start their activities after 10 PM when the neighborhood quiets down. They hide at the slightest sound of people and, if in danger, they play dead.

During the day, they take naps in tree holes, sewers, or, if unlucky, under the deck of a house or in a corner of a shed. Therefore, we rarely see opossums during the day.

Despite their appearance leading to many misunderstandings, opossums are actually the best cleaners in the city. They eat ticks, cockroaches, snails, rats, and even small snakes. Research shows that one opossum can consume thousands of ticks in a single season.

They also clean up fallen rotten fruit or dead animal carcasses in the yard. What may look like rummaging through trash to us is actually their role in maintaining neighborhood hygiene.

So, are they dangerous? They are almost harmless. Opossums have a lower body temperature than other mammals, making it difficult for the rabies virus to survive in them.

They are much less likely to contract rabies than dogs or cats. When they open their mouths and show their teeth while hissing, it is not an attack but a plea for you to stay away. In fact, they rarely attack first.

The unfortunate reality is on the roads. If you drive along Olive Avenue or Glenoaks Boulevard, you will often see opossum roadkill. Their poor eyesight causes them to freeze instead of running away when they see headlights, and their slow movement combined with the instinct to play dead can be fatal in front of cars.

For Burbank residents, when you encounter an opossum, just think: it has come to clean up the ticks in our yard.

Don't be scared; just let it pass. At night, bringing pet food inside and securely closing trash can lids can reduce unnecessary encounters.

An opossum is not a disgusting giant rat, but a shy environmental cleaner that eats trash at night in many areas of the U.S., including LA.