Social Behavior in Captive Virginia Opossums, Didelphis virginiana

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Abstract
To examine social behavior in Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) systematically, spontaneous interactions and nesting behavior of three mixed-sex groups of adults were observed in a seminatural setting during a 7-month period including segments of breeding and nonbreeding seasons. Interactions were predominantly affiliative or nonagonistic, and nesting associations also indicated a greater capacity for social tolerance than generally is recognized for didelphid marsupials. The overall frequency of social interactions peaked with onset of breeding in January, and intrasexual agonistic encounters (primarily female-female) occurred more often than male-female encounters. Opossums readily formed stable linear-dominance hierarchies, with females usually dominant. These data suggest that opossum sociality is better developed than generally recognized, and that seasonal influences should be considered when assessing social complexity in this species.

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