User:Fredthesheep28/Common opossum

The common opossum is currently not an endangered species.

The common opossum can mate for the majority of the calendar year. They do not mate for life. Female opossums can give birth to an upmost of 24 infants, however, only a third of them usually survive. Young opossums stay with the mother for the first few months of their lives and reach maturity before they are a year old.

Opossums enjoy denning underground, but do not spend as much time underground when it is dry season.

A male opossum's home range (distance traveled at night) can vary in size from wet to dry seasons while a female has a more stationary home range when she is breeding. Males are most active between 11 pm and 3 am at night.

D. marsupialis have not been observed to be territorial.

Common predators of the opossum are humans, house pets (ex: dogs and cats), and birds. When they are in danger, they act dead, also called, 'playing opossum.'

Opossums do not keep the same dens for long periods of time, moving every couple of days.