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The Virginia opossum's ancestors evolved in South America, but spread into North America as part of the Great American Interchange, which occurred mainly after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama about 3 million years ago.
Both male and female opossums become sexually mature within their first year of life. On average, Virginia opossums have two litters per year, but this varies depending on their specific location. Females in warmer climates may have three litters per year after a gestation period of 12 to 13 days.
In addition to their physical attributes and behavioral strategies, Virginia opossums exhibit remarkable reproductive characteristics. Females typically give birth to large litters of offspring, often numbering up to 20 joeys.
Virginia opossums are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. Breeding is typically from December to August. The brief gestation period is 12 to 13 days and up to 25 young may be produced in each litter.
Virginia opossums become sexually mature within the first year of their life, around 6 months for females and 8 months for males, but typically begin breeding around 10 months of age. This species has a long breeding season, however, the exact months of the breeding season varies based on an individual’s location.
One animal has been known to live 6.6 years in captivity [0671]. Animals living on predator-free islands, live longer, start reproducing at later ages, have smaller litter sizes, and appear to age slower than their mainland counterparts [0695].
17 paź 2024 · Virginia opossum, (Didelphis virginiana), the only marsupial (family Didelphidae, subfamily Didelphinae) found north of Mexico. The Virginia opossum occurs from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica.
