Didelphis aurita
Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
Recording0:09
Brazil · 2020
© Henry Miller Alexandre · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center Guatemala | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
No species of the same family or order lives in Rio de Janeiro, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum sighting in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 15 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August–September and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum in Rio de Janeiro on a given day, against about 20% in October and December–July, the lowest months.
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.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Big-eared Opossum sightings, Rio de Janeiro ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Niterói (Brazil, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Big-eared Opossum is recorded against all the mammals logged in Rio de Janeiro (85 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.
