The North American opossum is a frequent visitor to human-occupied spaces. When people notice holes or disturbed ground in their yards, they often suspect the opossum is a burrowing animal creating a permanent den. Opossums do not typically dig holes or burrows for shelter, a distinction that separates them from true subterranean mammals. These animals are instead highly opportunistic and transient, relying on existing structures for daytime rest.
Opossums Are Not Burrowing Animals
Opossums are physically ill-equipped for the sustained excavation required to create a deep, protective burrow. Unlike dedicated burrowers such as groundhogs or badgers, the opossum’s forepaws are poorly adapted for digging through dense soil. Their paws are more delicate, resembling small hands with five widely spread fingers, and their claws are not robust enough for heavy earthmoving. The opossum’s body structure is simply not designed for the powerful, scooping action necessary to displace significant amounts of dirt.
How Opossums Acquire Shelter
Since they lack the ability to construct their own subterranean homes, opossums seek out pre-existing, secure locations for their diurnal rest. They are highly nomadic, rarely staying in the same den for more than a few nights, a behavior believed to help them avoid predators. The structures they use are diverse and include hollow logs, rock crevices, dense brush piles, and tree cavities. In suburban environments, they readily take advantage of human-made shelters, often denning beneath porches, decks, sheds, or inside abandoned drainage pipes. These dens are typically lined with insulating materials like dried leaves and grass, which the opossum carries using its prehensile tail.
Shallow Scratching and Foraging Behavior
The confusion about opossums being burrowing animals stems from the surface disturbance they create while foraging for food. Opossums are omnivores with a diet that includes insects, grubs, snails, and fallen fruit. When searching for these items, they will scratch, root, and paw at the ground, leaf litter, or mulch. This action creates shallow depressions, small holes, or disturbed patches in the soil, which are the visible signs often mistaken for the entrance to a true burrow. This surface-level digging is directly tied to their search for protein-rich prey, not the construction of a permanent dwelling. The opossum’s sensitive nose helps it locate prey buried just beneath the surface, initiating the shallow scratching that gardeners often observe in the morning.