Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
Summary 3
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), commonly known as the North American opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America north of Mexico and is the size of a house cat. Their fur is gray and white and they have a white face, pink nose and their ears and tail are hairless. Their tails are prehensile (meaning that they can use the tail to hold on to branches or other structures).
Where on Campus? 4
Virginia opossums are nocturnal, but will be visible near the creeks along the edges of campus.
Habitat 4
Virginia opossums prefer forested habitats with water nearby, but they are highly adaptable to urban and suburban environments.
Life History 4
Reproduction Virginia opossums are polygynous, meaning that males mate with multiple females. They probably breed sometime anytime between mid-winter to later summer and may have up to three litters/year. Because they are marsupial, the young are "born" and leave the birth canal and climb into the pouch to attach to the nipples and complete their development for up to 70 days. The young witll stay with their mother for another 1-2 months before dispersing.
Diet Virginia opossums are opportunistic omnivores and will eat vertebrates, invertebrates, and a variety of fruits, leaves as well as garbage.
Distribution 4
Virginia opossums are found east of the Rockies from southern Canada into Central America. They are also found on the west coast of the United States. They cannot tolerate extreme cold.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Jessie Hirsch, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/31329193@N00/2483691463
- (c) 2010 Bill Stagnaro, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=317502&one=T
- Adapted by gillian360 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didelphis_virginiana
- (c) gillian360, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
