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Home range and resource selection of Virginia opossums in the rural southeastern United States

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Abstract

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) has a rapidly expanding distribution in North America, but many aspects of its ecology remain relatively understudied, particularly in rural areas of its core range. We collected GPS telemetry data from 93 opossums in a rural, non-agricultural landscape in South Carolina, USA (2018–2019) to examine factors influencing space use and resource selection. Estimated male home ranges (99% utilization distributions) were on average 50% larger than those of females (mean home range 115.9 ± 103.7 ha vs 76.7 ± 75.0 ha). The home range size decreased on average by 20% with each 20% increase in deciduous land cover but was not affected by season or other landscape factors. Core area sizes (65% utilization distributions) were not influenced by sex (mean core area size 29.1 ± 23.7 ha and 22.4 ha ± 13.8 for males and females, respectively) or season, but the core area size decreased by 14% with each 400 m increase in distance from a permanent water source. Resource selection by opossums primarily occurred at the landscape level. Both males and females generally selected for wetlands while avoiding pine forests and developed/open areas, likely the result of differences in resource availability and predation risk between habitats. Opossums also tended to select for linear features such as unpaved roads and edge habitat, which may facilitate movement across the landscape. The home ranges we documented are among the largest recorded for opossums in the USA, likely the result of the relatively low resource abundance throughout our study area due to comparatively minimal anthropogenic influence.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

Financial support was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (Cooperative agreements: 17-7488-1290-CA, 18-7488- 1290-CA, 19-7488-1290-CA, 20-7488-1290-CA and 21-7488-1290-CA) and the United States Department of Energy (Financial Assistance Award DE-EM0004391) to the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

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Author notes

  1. Jacob E. Hill and David A. Bernasconi contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA

    Jacob E. Hill, David A. Bernasconi, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr & Guha Dharmarajan

  2. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 180 E Green St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    David A. Bernasconi & James C. Beasley

  3. Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 1414 E. Locust Ln, Nampa, ID, 83686, USA

    David A. Bernasconi

  4. National Rabies Management Program, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, Concord, NH, 03301, USA

    Richard B. Chipman

  5. National Wildlife Research Center, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, 4101 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    Amy T. Gilbert

  6. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E Green St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Olin E. Rhodes Jr

  7. Division of Sciences, School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences, Krea University, Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Guha Dharmarajan

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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study design and conception. Data collection was performed by DAB. Analysis was performed by DAB and GD. JEH and DAB wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on the drafts. The final manuscript was read and approved by all authors.

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Correspondence to Jacob E. Hill.

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All legal guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Trapping and handling activities were conducted in accordance with the University of Georgia Animal Care and Use Guidelines under Animal Care and Use protocol A2018 06-024-A12.

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Communicated by: Andrzej Zalewski

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Hill, J.E., Bernasconi, D.A., Chipman, R.B. et al. Home range and resource selection of Virginia opossums in the rural southeastern United States. Mamm Res 69, 193–204 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-023-00733-y

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