Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas

The authors examine the ecology of the Virginia opossum on a 590-acre natural reservation in northeastern Kansas, where it is the largest permanently resident predatory mammal. Field work from 1949–1952 relied chiefly on live-trapping, yielding 117 individuals handled 276 times and recording 207 pouch young, with data on sex, weight, markings and capture location. Habitat is mixed second-growth woodland with rock ledges that provide dens, interspersed fallow fields and small creeks; activity concentrates along woodland edges, streams and trails. Results describe seasonal breeding and activity cycles, movements, diet, population turnover and predators, highlight nocturnal, omnivorous behavior, and note limited capture success due to secrecy.