Opossum Enjoying Strawberry Melts Hearts Online: 'Cutest Thing'

An opossum enjoying a strawberry treat has melted hearts online after a video went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok.

The adorable marsupial has captured hearts after eating a strawberry in the clip that was posted on Thursday by Katelyn who runs the account george.the.possum. It now has more than 1.2 million views and over 320,000 likes.

The opossum is often confused with the possum—the two animals have similar names that are often used interchangeably though they are different animals. The possum is native to Australia, New Zealand and China and has a much thicker tail, while the opossum is native to North America and has a signature bare tail.

George the opossum has lived with his owner Katelyn on the East Coast for the last two years. She told Newsweek: "When I got George his eyes were barely opened and he was a very tiny guy. A local veterinary hospital who knew I had experience with possums gave me a call and asked if I could take him in when he was brought in by someone who had seen a possum hit by a car and stopped to check for babies in their pouch."

Unfortunately, George was the only surviving baby in the pouch of the opossum that had been struck by a car.

"George has had various issues which caused him not to be able to thrive in the wild," explained Katelyn. "So that's why he's still with me."

Delighted by the video, internet users headed to the comments to share their love for George. One viewer wrote: "Holy moly what a cutie." Another said: "This is the absolute cutest thing I've seen all day."

National Geographic has reported that there are several dozen different species of opossum—the only marsupial found in the U.S. and Canada. National Geographic said: "A female opossum gives birth to helpless young as tiny as honeybees. Babies immediately crawl into the mother's pouch where they continue to develop. Opossums may give birth to as many as 20 babies in a litter, but fewer than half of them survive."

George will turn 2 in April, and his antics have delighted internet users around the world. He now has over 290,000 followers on TikTok who follow his progress and watch adorable videos created by Katelyn.

One viewer of the adorable video commented: "How do you get anything done? I'd be sat there all day feeding this adorable little man strawberries! He's so cute."

Not just a pretty face, George also has a hidden talent. An Etsy store called Georgethepossum sells special hand-made artwork created with George's own paws. From a handprint painting to a colorful canvas.

"George's art that we make and sell on our Etsy shop is just something super fun for us to do together," said Katelyn. "Plus, I enjoy being able to give his fans something special from George himself."

Katelyn hopes that sharing George's story online will educate more people about the opossum. "I absolutely love the platform we are building on TikTok," she explained. "I try to answer as many questions that his fans have about possums as I can. In my opinion, possums are one of the most misunderstood animals and my goal is to change that."

This week an adorable possum was found clinging to a fishing pier in Australia before being rescued.