Mammals nocturnal

Southern Opossum

Didelphis marsupialis

The Southern Opossum is Central and South America’s most famous nighttime wanderer. Often spotted by AI cameras in backyard gardens, these resilient marsupials are essential for keeping local ecosystems healthy and pest-free.

1 Sightings

1 Habitats

Quick Identification

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Size

Body length: 35–50 cm (14–20 in); Tail length: 35–45 cm (14–18 in); Weight: 1–2 kg (2.2–4.4 lbs)

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Colors

Coarse yellowish-gray fur with darker guard hairs; distinctive white or pale cream facial mask; solid black ears; long, scaly prehensile tail with a black base and white tip.

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Key Features

Solid black ears without white tips
White or pale yellow facial mask
Long, scaly, hairless prehensile tail
Opposable 'thumbs' (hallux) on the hind feet

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal

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Peak hours 9 PM - 3 AM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Omnivorous and opportunistic; feeds on insects, small vertebrates, eggs, fruit, nectar, and carrion.

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Habitat Highly versatile; found in tropical and subtropical forests, secondary growth, agricultural lands, and urban gardens.

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Behavior

The Southern Opossum is a highly adaptable and solitary marsupial that plays a vital role as a generalist scavenger. While they are primarily terrestrial, they are exceptional climbers and use their prehensile tails as a fifth limb when navigating the forest canopy or garden fences. Unlike many other mammals, they are not strictly territorial and tend to wander within a shifting home range, looking for food and temporary dens in hollow logs, rock crevices, or even man-made structures.

As marsupials, females possess a well-developed pouch where they carry their young for several months. They are remarkably resilient to snake venom and are known for their 'cleanup' services, as they consume a wide variety of pests including cockroaches, ticks, and small venomous snakes. While their northern cousins are famous for 'playing possum' (thanatosis), the Southern Opossum is more likely to growl or hiss when threatened, though they are generally non-aggressive toward humans and prefer to retreat into the shadows.

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Camera Tips

To capture high-quality footage of the Southern Opossum, place your camera low to the ground, approximately 12 to 18 inches high. This species frequently travels along 'wildlife highways'—linear features like the base of garden walls, fallen logs, or the edges of dense shrubbery. If you can identify a clear path through the leaf litter, aim your camera parallel to the trail to capture the animal's full length as it passes by.

Because Southern Opossums are strictly nocturnal, your camera’s Infrared (IR) flash performance is critical. To avoid 'white-out' (where the animal appears as a glowing white ghost), ensure the camera is not aimed too closely at a reflective surface like a white wall or shiny leaves. If your camera allows for sensitivity adjustments, set it to 'High' to ensure the motion sensor triggers quickly enough to catch them before they scurry out of the frame. I recommend using video mode with 15-second clips; this allows you to see their unique waddling gait and, if you're lucky, the sight of a mother carrying older 'joeys' on her back.

While they are naturally curious and will investigate new smells, you can increase your success rate by using a scent lure. A small amount of overripe fruit (like bananas or mangoes) or a smear of peanut butter on a nearby tree trunk can pause the opossum in front of your lens for several seconds. If you are in a suburban area, placing the camera near the base of a compost bin or under a fruit-bearing tree is almost a guaranteed way to spot them. In tropical regions, be sure to use a desiccant pack inside your camera housing to prevent lens fogging during humid nights.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Southern Opossum.

Virginia Opossum

Has white tips on the ears and a lighter, more silver-white coat; its range is primarily further north.

Gray Four-eyed Opossum

Smaller with distinctive white spots above each eye that look like a second pair of eyes; lacks the white facial mask.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Southern Opossum is strictly nocturnal. They typically emerge shortly after sunset and are most active during the darkest hours of the night, between 9 PM and 3 AM, before returning to their dens before dawn.

You can attract them by providing natural food sources like fruit-bearing trees or maintaining a compost pile. They are also drawn to water sources and areas with dense ground cover or brush piles where they can forage for insects and find safety.

They are true omnivores. Their diet includes a mix of fallen fruit, insects, snails, small rodents, and birds' eggs. They are also famous scavengers, often eating carrion or leftover pet food left outdoors.

Yes, they are highly synanthropic, meaning they thrive in human-dominated landscapes. They often use garden fences as highways and take advantage of the abundant food sources provided by urban gardens and waste bins.

The most reliable indicator is the ears; the Southern Opossum has solid black ears, whereas the Virginia Opossum usually has white tips on its ears. Additionally, the Southern Opossum has a more yellowish-gray tint to its fur compared to the more silvery-white appearance of its northern relative.

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