Possum Scat Identification: Opossum Droppings and Tracks

Opossums have five toes on each foot with a thumb-like, clawless inner toe on the hind foot that points sideways, which makes their tracks unlike any other North American mammal's. Their scat is soft and variable because they eat almost anything. The measurements below for Virginia Opossum are quoted from the wildlife agencies linked at the bottom of the page.

• Front: Front footprint about 2 inches long, 5 toes evenly spaced, overall star-shaped
• Hind: Hind footprint about 2 inches long, 5 toes
• Toes: 5 toes on the hind foot, with the thumb-like toe splayed at a right angle, the three middle toes together, and the fifth toe separate
• Gait: The tail often leaves a slightly wavy drag mark in snow and similar surfaces; left-right footprint spacing about 4 inches, stride about 7 inches

• Uses a den abandoned by another animal: Opossums do not build their own nests; instead they take over dens or nests abandoned by other animals, or use sheds, old buildings, rock crevices, brush piles, hollow trees, or fallen logs

Opossums remain active in winter, while raccoons become dormant and inactive The Raccoon page has its own sign list.

Put something of known size next to it (a coin, a pen, a boot) and shoot straight down in soft light; low side light brings out the shape of tracks in mud or snow. For scat, photograph the whole deposit and one close-up showing contents. Note where it was: on a log, in the open, on a trail, near water. The app suggests the likely animal; confirm with the size and shape notes above.

In North America, possum means the Virginia opossum, the animal behind the phrase playing possum (Missouri Department of Conservation). Its droppings are fairly large, like a dog's, averaging about 3/4 inch in diameter, with smooth sides and tapered ends, and more often curled than straight, according to the wildlife-control site wildlife-removal.com. They are usually dark, but the color changes with age and with what the animal ate, and old droppings can grow mold.

The contents vary more than most animals' because the opossum eats almost anything. The Missouri Department of Conservation lists insects, carrion, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds and eggs, earthworms, fruit such as grapes, persimmons and pawpaws, and garbage and pet food. Seeds, insect parts or fur in the scat all fit an opossum.

• Rat: far smaller. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (ICWDM) gives Norway rat droppings as up to 3/4 inch long and 1/4 inch in diameter, with blunt ends, about 40 to 50 a day in small clumps. A rat dropping is about as long as a possum dropping is thick. See our Norway rat page.
• Coyote: tubular and segmented with one end tapering to a point, and often full of fur, bone fragments, feathers, berries or seeds. Coyotes leave scat along trails, at intersections and around objects to mark territory (ICWDM). See our coyote page.
• Raccoon: similar in size, and wildlife-removal.com notes that people often mistake possum droppings for a raccoon's or a dog's. Raccoons tend to use a fixed latrine spot; see our raccoon page.

When the droppings are ambiguous, look for tracks nearby. ICWDM says opossum sign is often confused with skunk or raccoon sign, and that a correctly identified hind footprint is definitive: the hind foot has a thumb-like inner toe with no claw, and Wildlife Illinois compares the print to a baby's handprint.

They can, because yards offer what they are looking for. The Missouri Department of Conservation calls opossums common in urban and suburban areas. ICWDM and Wildlife Illinois list what draws them in: garbage cans, bird feeders, pet food left outdoors, compost piles, vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and shelter in wood piles, sheds and under decks or porches. Droppings near those spots, along with the distinctive hind-foot tracks, point to an opossum.

One difference from raccoons that helps around buildings: opossums use openings that already exist, while raccoons often make new ones (ICWDM). Opossums also stay active in winter, when raccoons are largely inactive (Missouri Department of Conservation).

Wildlife Illinois states that opossums do not pose a public health concern and are resistant to rabies, though they may still carry it. wildlife-removal.com lists leptospirosis, salmonella and roundworms among the risks from droppings. Wildlife Illinois adds that horse owners should keep feed and water covered, because opossums can carry a protozoan that causes disease in horses through contaminated feed or water.

Our advice for cleanup: wear disposable gloves, pick up the droppings with a bag rather than bare hands, disinfect the surface, and wash your hands afterward. wildlife-removal.com recommends a respirator mask for large accumulations in enclosed spaces such as attics or crawl spaces.