# What Do Opossums Eat?

> What opossums eat: Omnivore (insects, carrion, fruit, eggs), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Woodland, farmland, suburbs of North America.

- **Species:** Opossum (*Didelphis virginiana*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Omnivore (insects, carrion, fruit, eggs)
- **Habitat:** Woodland, farmland, suburbs of North America
- **Lifespan:** 2–4 years
- **Top speed:** 24 km/h (15 mph)
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/opossum/what-do-opossum-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/opossum/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to the United States and Canada, carrying its young in a pouch like a kangaroo. It is a cat-sized, grey-furred animal with a pointed pink snout, a prehensile tail, and 50 teeth — more than any other North American land mammal. Famous for 'playing possum', it eats almost anything, including ticks, and usually lives only 2 to 4 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## A marsupial in North America

Unlike the continent's other mammals, the Virginia opossum is a marsupial: its young are born tiny and undeveloped after just under two weeks, then crawl into the mother's pouch to keep growing. Once they outgrow the pouch, the joeys ride on her back. This makes the opossum a close relative of kangaroos and koalas rather than of the rodents it superficially resembles.

## Help protect the Opossum

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/opossum/what-do-opossum-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.