Predation of the black-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) on the great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) and the water rat (Nectomys squamipes)

Abstract

Abstract Understanding the predatory behavior of a species is critical to its ecological role. Little is known about the predatory behavior of the marsupial Didelphis aurita. Here, we present two cases to shed light on its opportunistic nature: an opossum struggling to locate and attack an immobile juvenile bird, indicating olfactory detection and visual constraints, and an opossum carrying a weakened rat that was host of four blowfly larvae. These events reinforce D. aurita’s opportunistic behavior in attacking debilitated vertebrates.