Animal sign
Opossum tracks: the star-shaped print with a thumb
The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial in the US, and its tracks are unlike any other: the front print spreads like a star, and the hind print has a thumb pointing out to the side.
How to tell it
- Five toes on every foot, spread wide.
- Front print about 2 inches across, shaped like a star or a child's hand.
- Hind print with a large thumb that points sideways or backward, away from the other four toes.
- Hind prints often land on or beside the front prints in a wandering, shuffling line.
Where you find it
The eastern and central US, the West Coast and parts of the Southwest, in woods, farmland, suburbs and cities, often near water.
Scientific name: Didelphis virginiana
Look-alikes
Long, finger-like toes, and the hind foot has no sideways thumb.
Smaller, with short toes and long claw marks, and no thumb.
What it tells you
Opossum tracks show where they forage for insects, fruit, eggs and carrion, and they often visit trash and pet food. Opossums rarely carry rabies, but like any wild animal they should not be handled or fed.
What to do
- Photograph the prints with something for size, then look along the trail for a den under a deck, a woodpile or a hollow log.
- Keep pet food and trash closed up at night.
- If you find one playing dead, leave it alone. It will get up and leave on its own.
The free app reads your photo, names the likely match, shows its look-alikes, and tells you what has been seen near your ZIP code.
Sources
Written in our own words from these public sources.