Back Uirginiæpocarǣt ANG أبوسوم فيرجينيا Arabic ابوسوم فيرجينيا ARZ Tueskol (Didelphis virginiana) AVK دیدلفیس ویرقینیانا AZB Вирджински опосум Bulgarian Oposom Virjinia BR Opòssum de Virgínia Catalan Didelphis virginiana CEB ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏗ CHR
| Virginia opossum[1] Temporal range:
Middle Pleistocene – present (~600,000–0 YBP)[2] | |
|---|---|
| |
| North American opossum in winter | |
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 a member of the opossum family found from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica (making it the northernmost marsupial in the world). Commonly referred to simply as the 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
Harrington2015was 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.