CreatureData

Big-eared opossum

Didelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826

LCLeast Concernmarsupials

The big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) is a species in the family Didelphidae, order Didelphimorphia. Recorded adults weigh 1.15 kg to 1.65 kg and live up to 4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita)
Photo: Sinara Conessa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the big-eared opossum

Weight
1.15 kg – 1.65 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
4 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
7 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
14 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
6.2src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
5.58 months – 7.88 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Scansorialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the big-eared opossum

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita)
Christian Roger Dockhorn · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the big-eared opossum live?

Not recorded

What is the big-eared opossum?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita), also known as a saruê, or the gambá, is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

This species, which was considered a population of the common opossum (D. marsupialis) for some time, was originally described as D. azarae by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824, but this name was incorrectly given to the white-eared opossum (D. albiventris) for over 160 years. As such, the name azarae has been abandoned.

Due to carrying offspring, female big-eared opossums tend to stay in smaller areas and reduce their movements.

From the Wikipedia article “Big-eared opossum” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big-eared_opossum&oldid=1330302956), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the big-eared opossum endangered?

The big-eared opossum is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the big-eared opossum classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderDidelphimorphia
  5. familyDidelphidae
  6. genusDidelphis
  7. SpeciesDidelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826
Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • Brazilian common opossumEnglish
  • Brazilian common opossumEnglish
  • Southern black-eared opossumEnglish
  • أبوسوم كبير الأذنArabic
  • vačice ušatáCzech
  • GroßohropossumGerman
  • Ohren-OpossumGerman
  • Κοινό Βραζιλιανό ΟπόσουμGreek
  • Tlacuache brasileñoSpanish
  • Comadreja Orejas NegrasSpanish
  • Zarigüeya brasileña Gambá Mbicuré overo Zarigüeya orejudaSpanish
  • isokorvaopossumiFinnish
  • Sarigue d´azaraFrench
  • Opossum commun du BrésilFrench
  • Sarigue du Sud-Est brésilienFrench
  • オオミミオポッサムJapanese
  • dydelf wielkouchyPolish
  • gambáPortuguese
  • Gambá-de-orelha-pretaPortuguese
  • Большеухий опоссумRussian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the big-eared opossum

Other species in the same genus Didelphis.

CompareBig-eared opossum vs Virginia opossumBig-eared opossum vs Common opossumBig-eared opossum vs White-eared opossumBig-eared opossum vs Andean white-eared opossum

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the big-eared opossum?

An adult big-eared opossum weighs 1.15 kg – 1.65 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the big-eared opossum endangered?

The big-eared opossum is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the big-eared opossum live?

The big-eared opossum has a recorded lifespan of 4 years.

How long is the big-eared opossum pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 14 days.

What kind of animal is the big-eared opossum?

The big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) belongs to the family Didelphidae in the order Didelphimorphia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/big-eared-opossum

MLA

“Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/big-eared-opossum.

BibTeX
@misc{big_eared_opossum_2026,
  title = {Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/big-eared-opossum},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}