Age, season, and arboreal movements of the opossum Didelphis aurita in an Atlantic rain forest of Brazil

The common opossum of the Atlantic forest, Didelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826 is predominantly terrestrial, but uses the vertical space of the forest regularly. It is the didelphid that most frequently uses large supports in vertical movements. Here we test the influence of age and seasonality in fruit production on the vertical movements of D. aurita. Animals were trapped in Serra dos Orgaos, state of Rio de Janeiro, and equipped with a spool-and-line device before release. The paths were tracked, and variables related to support incline, diameter, distances and heights moved above ground were measured and compared between age classes and seasons. There were no significant differences between seasons. Individuals of all ages used the vertical space of the forest but the young opossums did it more intensively along their paths.