SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Heidi might have hundreds of thousands of Facebook fans, a deal in the works for a stuffed animal in her likeness and a song in her honor on YouTube, but folks around here know who the real star is.

Loretta.

Ask anybody who’s seen the almost 2-year-old Virginia opossum strut through 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, donning her season-specific outfits that double as her daily exercise regimen to help the captive critter control her weight.

You see, Heidi — enjoying her 15 minutes of fame from a German zoo in Leipzig — exploded across the blogosphere in December when images of the cross-eyed and rather pudgy marsupial found their way onto social media sites from Montreal to New Zealand.

Loretta, however, has proven her staying power for more than a year, whether she’s assisting the 5 Rivers staff with mammal lectures during Saturday Adventure classes or resting up inside her custom-built, three-story “opossuminium.”

5 Rivers Assistant Manager Shonda Borden’s the first to admit she’s a little biased when it comes to Loretta, which is why she placed photos of both nocturnal darlings in the environmental education center’s most recent monthly newsletter to let local nature enthusiasts decide for themselves.

“Here at 5 Rivers we didn’t want our cute cross-eyed opossum to be left out … Here they are side by side. You decide. Loretta vs. Heidi. Who is cuter?” Borden quipped to readers.

Maggie Cooper, 5, of Daphne said there’s no question who’s cuter.

“Loretta’s so soft, and she lets me pet her,” Cooper said during a recent family outing to the facility overlooking the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

And unlike Heidi, whose fame has largely come in the form of viral video clips from far-away places, local residents have grown accustomed to Loretta’s letter box outside her home in the main exhibit hall and often drop queries in the “Ask Loretta” slot.

One on one with Loretta

Here’s just a sample of the wisdom 5 Rivers’ “opossum opiner” has imparted to inquisitive visitors over the past year:

• What do opossums eat?

You might have noticed I have three different bowls in my home. One has a mixture of baby food, rice cereal and yogurt. The other two have a variety of fruits and veggies from tomatoes and grapes to okra and spinach. I also get a meat, which is either chicken or sardines. In the wild, I would eat much of the same thing, plus a bit of garbage and cat food, and then its road kill for dessert! Yum!

• Why do you dress your opossum up?

While I have to admit some of those outfits are styling, they do serve a specific purpose. Opossums who live in cages are more likely to be overweight than those who are found in the wild. Those outfits are really harnesses that attach to a leash when we go out for walks. This way I get exercise and snazzy outfits all in one!

• How old are you? How long do you live?

My first birthday (was) in May 2010. In captivity I may live up to three or four years. However in the wild, opossums only live about a year to a year and a half because we are pretty low on the food chain, and there are way too many cars out there.

• Will you come out and play with us?

I sure will come out for a visit anytime! Just grab a nearby 5 Rivers staff member to open my door and we could make it a play date.

• When were opossums discovered?

Opossums were discovered when Europeans stopped by America in the 1400s. However, there is no written record of us until the 1600s, when John Smith and the settlers of Jamestown came to America. Scientists have even found fossils of us that date back to 70 million years ago! That means someone very similar to me was hanging out with dinosaurs. An extra note: The name opossum is an Americanized version of a Native American word. The original word was “apasum” and meant “white animal.”

• Do you bite?

I do not bite. However, if you see someone who looks like me in your backyard or out in the woods, please do not try to pet them. They will bite. They haven’t been handled by people as much as I have.

• How big can opossums get?

We can get to be as big as a house cat, which could be around 15 pounds.

To read these and other questions fielded by Loretta on the 5 Rivers Facebook page, click here.

Also: Vote for your favorite: Heidi or Loretta! Online only at our Facebook page! (Must be a Facebook member and friend of Baldwin County Now/ Gulf Coast Newspapers to vote.)

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