This species, which was considered a population of the common opossum (D. marsupialis) for some time, was originally described as D. azarae by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824, but this name was incorrectly given to the white-eared opossum (D. albiventris) for over 160 years. As such, the name azarae has been abandoned.[1]
Due to carrying offspring, female big-eared opossums tend to stay in smaller areas and reduce their movements.
^ abGardner, Alfred L. (2007). Mammals of South America Volume 1 Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats. Chicago 60637: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN978-0-226-28240-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Jane Elizabeth Kraus: FAUNA E FLORA NO CAMPUS: da Cidade Universitária Armando de Salles Oliveira, EDUSP - Editora da Universidade de São Paulo 2005, ISBN978-85-314-0879-3, p. 124