Chitika

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cross-eyed possum bears a remarkable resemblance to the rodent from Ratatouille

The Oscar-winning film studio Pixar is renowned for its stunningly realistic animations but at one German zoo, life is imitating art.

Heidi, a cross-eyed possum set to move full time to a wildlife centre in Leipzig, looks uncannily like Remy the rat, the hero of Disney Pixar's 2007 hit Ratatouille.

But while Remy dreamed of escaping his rodent upbringing and becoming a chef in a gourmet Parisian restaurant, Heidi will have to tackle her unfortunate ocular abnormality before aspiring to larger goals.





Pictured today, Heidi looks bemused to discover her new surroundings as she prepares to be relocated.

But the 18-month-old isn't surprised - she's merely suffering from an abnormality found in her species.

The tree-climbing creatures are famed for their bulbous eyes but crossed-eyes like Heidi's are a rarity caused by improperly aligned eyeballs.

The marsupial was born in Odense, Denmark, in May 2008 but will soon be moved to a tropical house at the Leipzig zoo.


Opossums are typically solitary creatures but it would appear Heidi will be able to hynoptise any unwelcome intruders into her new home in Saxony.

Heidi's species are known for 'playing possum' in the face of danger and pretending to be sick or dead to avoid an attack.

But for this youngster, playing dead is only a back-up option if a hint to look into her bulbous eyes fails to put a predator into a trance.

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