Didelphis aurita
Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 16 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and August–December, the lowest months. That is one of Iguazú National Park's wettest months, with about 220 mm of rain against 90 mm in August.
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.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Big-eared Opossum sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 40%) and Tijuca National Park (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 Iguazú National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
