Virginia opossum is North America’s only marsupial, and in Missouri it ranks fifth by record count, well below the state’s common raccoon despite sharing much of the same habitat. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Big Oak Tree State Park, and Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, bottomland or wetland ground in the state’s south and north, turn up often in reports, likely because opossums forage those muddy, wooded edges for carrion, insects, and fruit.
Records don’t follow one clean seasonal curve. October carries the year’s high point, but February is nearly as strong, an unusual two-season pattern rather than a single summer spike. That could reflect the species’ short lifespan and frequent litters keeping animals visible at different times of year, not a population that swells twice annually.
Every one of the 816 records comes from GBIF, with no iNaturalist entries at all.
Full species profile
