Abstract
We monitored movements of 20 (12 males, 8 females) adult opossums (Didelphis virginiana) from January 1996 to February 1999 on Fort Riley Military Reservation, Kansas, to determine survival rates and compare home range sizes between males and females. Annual survival rates during the 3-year study were relatively low (17 to 25%). Predation by coyotes (Canis latrans), which occurred primarily in late winter and early spring, was the largest cause of mortality (65%). Although body sizes were similar between sexes, mean home range size of male opossums (114 ha) was larger than females (57 ha), and mean capture-to-death distance of males (1.23 km) was greater than females (0.35 km).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 178-182 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Southwestern Naturalist |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2001 |