First evidence of gregarious denning in opossums (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), with notes on their social behaviour

Abstract

The Didelphidae are considered solitary opossums with few social interactions, usually limited to mating-related or mother-pouch young interactions. Anecdotal reports suggest that additional interactions occur, including den sharing by a few individuals, usually siblings. Here, we report novel observations that indicate opossums are more social than previously thought. These include nest sharing by males and females of Marmosa paraguayana, Gracilinanus microtarsus and Marmosops incanus prior to the onset of the breeding season and without signs of sexual activity; this is taken to indicate early pairbonding matching and cooperative nest building. We also recorded den sharing among recently weaned siblings of Didelphis aurita and Caluromys philander. In addition, we observed 13 individuals of Didelphis albiventris representing three age classes resting without agonistic interactions in a communal den. These are the first reports of gregarious behaviour involving so many individuals, which are either unrelated or represent siblings from at least two litters, already weaned, sharing the same den with three adults. Sociality in opossums is probably more complex than previously established, and field experimental designs combining the use of artificial nests with camera traps or telemetry may help to gauge the frequency and extent of these phenomena.

Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in the wild and its most important reservoir hosts in Brazil

“…Didelphidae are classically described as solitary animals with social interactions restricted to the mating season and to young pouch animals. However, this paradigm is being challenged by recent observations suggesting that these animals may display a social behavior pattern [ 40 ]. Didelphid marsupials are nocturnal, nomadic (mainly the males) and are agile climbers but quite clumsy when on the ground.…”

Hyladelphys kalinowskiiin French Guiana: new observations and first notes on its nesting biology

“…Whereas two nests contained solitary adults, four others each contained a single adult with 1 to 4 juveniles. There is one observation (june 2009 at Les Nouragues) with four similar-sized full-grown animals sleeping in a nest box, which opens the possibility for some gregarious denning, as observed by Astua et al (2015) for a few species of Didelphidae.…”

Nesting behavior of Didelphis aurita: twenty days of continuous recording of a female in a coati nest

“…1.42m, in height, during daylight (Moraes Junior & Chiarello 2005). D. marsupialis and D. albiventris both use shelters on the ground (during wet seasons), tree cavities or nests, also during the day (Sunquist et al 1987;Vaughan & Hawkins 1999;Astúa et al 2015). Finally, the Brazilian mouse opossum (Monodelphis domestica) adopts a wooden box that it fills with paper and uses during daylight, in captivity (Unger 1982;Harrison 1985;Faden et al 1986).…”

“…In some cases, nests are simultaneously used by didelphids and raccoons or skunks (Shirer & Fitch 1970;Beisiegel 2006). Dark anthropogenic spaces may also be used as nests (e.g., trash bins, cement boxes on the floor, Astúa et al 2015). These shelters may serve to avoid predators (Moraes Junior & Chiarello 2005), to protect the young ), and to regulate body temperature (Unger 1982;).…”

“…Didelphis species, like other didelphids, were described as solitary (e.g., Cáceres & Monteiro-Filho 2001;, a hypothesis challenged by Astúa et al (2015). Social behavior has only been studied in D. virginiana.…”