Big-eared Opossum

Big-eared Opossum

Didelphis aurita

Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Serra dos Órgãos National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

22 Verified sightings at Serra dos Órgãos National Park From 2019 to 2026
83 In all 4 parks
March 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 Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum sighting in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 7 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Big-eared Opossum in Serra dos Órgãos National Park?

March

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Opossum in Serra dos Órgãos National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months.

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 Serra dos Órgãos National Park the best place to see a Big-eared Opossum?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Big-eared Opossum sightings, Serra dos Órgãos National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Tijuca National Park (Brazil, about 20%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 10%).

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 Serra dos Órgãos National Park (22 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.

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