Do opossums hang by their tails? They have something called a prehensile tail. A prehensile tail is adapted for grasping and wrapping around things like tree limbs. The opossum can hang from its tail for a short time. Some people think opossums hang from their tails and sleep. They don't. Their tails aren't strong enough to hold them for that long. Meet one of our newest patients, his mom was hit by a car and didn’t survive. He and 5 other siblings are now in our care and will stay with us for t