Big-eared Opossum

Big-eared Opossum

Didelphis aurita

Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Niterói

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

17 Verified sightings at Niterói
83 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Big-eared Opossum

The big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita), also known as a saruê, or the gambá, is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. This species, which was considered a population of the common opossum (D. marsupialis) for some time, was originally described as D. azarae by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824, but this name was incorrectly given to the white-eared opossum (D. albiventris) for over 160 years. As such, the name azarae has been abandoned.

Due to carrying offspring, female big-eared opossums tend to stay in smaller areas and reduce their movements. facts and pictures at Animal Diversity Web Diogo Loretto, & Marcus Vinícius Vieira. (2005). The Effects of Reproductive and Climatic Seasons on Movements in the Black-Eared Opossum (Didelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826). Journal of Mammalogy, 86(2), 287–293. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4094347 Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:09

Brazil · 2020

© Henry Miller Alexandre · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
2 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
4 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Niterói 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
4 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
6 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center Guatemala 🇬🇹 Guatemala In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Big-eared Opossum in Niterói?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum sighting in Niterói on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Big-eared Opossum in Niterói?

January and November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum in Niterói on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month. Those are among Niterói's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in August.

What time of day is best to see a Big-eared Opossum?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Big-eared Opossum sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Niterói the best place to see a Big-eared Opossum?

Yes

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Big-eared Opossum sightings, Niterói has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Rio de Janeiro (Brazil, about 20%) and Salvador (Brazil, about 20%).

Where does the Big-eared Opossum sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Big-eared Opossum is recorded against all the mammals logged in Niterói (17 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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