RYSER: VIRGINIA OPOSSUMS (DIDELPIIIS VIRGINIANA) IN FLORIDA


 80 -



 (D 60


 4O
 X 40-



 20




 1800 2200 0200 0600

 Time (EST)
Figure 2. Percentage of opossums active as a function of the time of night. = all nights included, A = only
nights with a minimum temperature >80C included.



movements decreased with decreasing temperatures. In females, low temperature
negatively affected nightly movements, certainly through its effect on activity.
 Nightly foraging movements of opossums, as revealed by radio-tracking at 1-hour
intervals, were usually erratic and unpredictable. However, nightly routes also
included loops and, rarely, straight-line movements. Opossums sometimes moved at a
fairly regular speed during the night while others remained within a small area for
several hours. During a 4-day-period of interval-tracking, individuals with medium to
large home ranges often stayed within a certain but, compared with other months,
changing part of their home range, suggesting that opossums may exploit different
parts of their home range at different times.