Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassMammalia (Mammals)
OrderDidelphimorphia (Opossums)
FamilyDidelphidae (Opossums)
GenusDidelphis (Large American Opossums)
SpeciesDidelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Saguaro National Park

1 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026

346 Verified sightings across all 24 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted Active throughout day and night

About the Virginia Opossum

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, 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 than other animals in their range.

The Virginia opossum is the original animal named "opossum", a word that comes from Algonquian wapathemwa, meaning "white animal". Colloquially, the Virginia opossum is frequently just called a "possum". The term is applied more generally to any of the other marsupials of the families Didelphidae and Caenolestidae. The generic name (Didelphis) is derived from Ancient Greek di, "two", and delphus, "womb".

The possums of Australia, whose name derives from their similarity to the American species, are also... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
2	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
3	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
4	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
5	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
6	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
7	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
8	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
9	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
10	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	Insufficient data
11	Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
12	Lago de Yojoa	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
13	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
14	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
15	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
16	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
17	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
18	Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
19	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
20	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
21	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
22	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
23	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
24	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data

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