For other uses of "possum", see Possum (disambiguation).
Virginia opossum[1]
Temporal range:
Middle Pleistocene – present(~600,000–0 YBP)[2]
North American opossum in winter
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[3]
Secure (NatureServe)[4]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Infraclass:
Marsupialia
Order:
Didelphimorphia
Family:
Didelphidae
Genus:
Didelphis
Species:
D. virginiana
Binomial name
Didelphis virginiana
(Kerr, 1792)
Range of habitat, showing both historic, native range and introductions in the west; these areas are currently expanding northward (e.g., into Wisconsin and Minnesota).[5]
Synonyms
Didelphis marsupialis virginiana[6]
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), also known as the North American opossum, is the only opossum living north of Mexico, its range extending south into Central America. It is the northernmost marsupial in the world. In the United States and Canada, it is typically called a possum.[7] It is a solitary nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and a successful opportunist.
Opossums are familiar to many North Americans as they frequently inhabit settled areas near food sources like trash cans, pet food, compost piles, gardens or housemice. Their slow, nocturnal nature and their attraction to roadside carrion make opossums more likely to become roadkill.
^Gardner, A.L. (2005). "Order Didelphimorphia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^Cite error: The named reference Harrington2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Pérez-Hernandez, R.; Lew, D.; Solari, S. (2016). "Didelphis virginiana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T40502A22176259. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T40502A22176259.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Didelphis virginiana". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
^Gardner, A.L.; Sunquist, M.E. (2003). "Opossum: Didelphis virginiana". In Feldhamer, G.A.; Thompson, B.C.; Chapman, J.A. (eds.). Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation. JHU Press. pp. 3–29. ISBN 978-0-8018-7416-1.
^John J. McManus (July 1970), "Behavior of Captive Opossums, Didelphis marsupialis virginiana", American Midland Naturalist, 84 (1): 144–169, doi:10.2307/2423733, JSTOR 2423733
^"Possum vs. Opossum: Is There a Difference?". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2023-11-12. Textbooks, encyclopedias, and science publications favor opossum, but when it comes to general speech and writing, possum is and has been the far more common choice.
The Virginiaopossum (Didelphis virginiana), also known as the North American opossum, is the only opossum living north of Mexico, its range extending...
South America. The Virginiaopossum is the only species found in the United States and Canada. It is often simply referred to as an opossum, and in North America...
species, the Virginiaopossum (Didelphis virginiana), is the only marsupial to be found in North America north of Mexico. The Virginiaopossum has opposable...
seventeen bat species include brown bats and the Virginia big-eared bat, the state mammal. The Virginiaopossum is also the only marsupial native to the United...
with thirteen species in Central America and a single species, the Virginiaopossum, inhabiting North America north of Mexico. The word marsupial comes...
instinctively show this behaviour when rats try to eat them. In mammals, the Virginiaopossum (commonly known simply as possums) is perhaps the best known example...
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species...
The water opossum (Chironectes minimus), also locally known as the yapok (/ˈjæpɒk/), is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is the only living member...
number of teats varies from 2 (in most primates) to 18 (in pigs). The Virginiaopossum has 13, one of the few mammals with an odd number. The following table...
Australia Opossum, or possum, an order (Didelphimorphia) of marsupials native to the Americas Common opossum, native to Central and South America Virginia opossum...
Conservation of Nature: Family Didelphidae (opossums) Subfamily: Didelphinae Genus: Didelphis Virginiaopossum, D. virginiana LC Family Dasypodidae (armadillos)...
Conservation of Nature: Family Didelphidae (opossums) Subfamily: Didelphinae Genus: Didelphis Virginiaopossum, D. virginiana LC Family Dasypodidae (armadillos)...
white-eared opossum D. virginiana - Virginiaopossum Genus Gracilinanus G. aceramarcae - Aceramarca gracile opossum G. agilis - agile gracile opossum G. dryas...
The Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa mexicana) is a species of North American opossum in the family Didelphidae. Marmosa mexicana is a small to moderate-sized...
(Didelphis imperfecta) Common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) Andean white-eared opossum (Didelphis pernigra) Virginiaopossum (Didelphis virginiana) Tribe...
a larger, rabid animal, and would, therefore, not be carriers. The Virginiaopossum (a marsupial, unlike the other mammals named in this paragraph, which...
include species found exclusively in captivity. Family: Didelphidae Virginiaopossum, Didelphis virginiana introduced Family: Soricidae Marsh shrew, Sorex...
didelphimorphs, or opossums. They are primarily found in South America, though some are found in Central America and Mexico and one, the Virginiaopossum, ranges...
early Paleocene. The Virginiaopossum is the only marsupial/opossum species in New York. Family Didelphidae (American opossums) Subfamily: Didelphinae...
members of the order Didelphimorphia (the order that contains the Virginiaopossum), an accumulation of both anatomical and genetic evidence in recent...
their almost extirpated population in Washington and the introduced Virginiaopossum is beginning to make way to the region in and around the forest. The...
pellets weighing about. North American subspecies can prey on larger Virginiaopossum (Didelphis virginianus) readily, and can be a major predator of this...
southwestern border there are jaguars and ocelots. Other mammals include the Virginiaopossum, which occurs throughout California and coastal areas in Oregon and...
anthropoids) to 18 (in pigs). Marsupials usually have 4 to 12 teats, but the Virginiaopossum has 13, one of the few mammals with an odd number. The following table...
Global Information
