Common opossum
Common opossum[1] | |
---|---|
In an urban area of Caracas, Venezuela | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Didelphimorphia |
Family: | Didelphidae |
Genus: | Didelphis |
Species: | D. marsupialis
|
Binomial name | |
Didelphis marsupialis | |
Common opossum range | |
Synonyms | |
Didelphis marsupialis marsupialis |
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum[2] or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including Trinidad and Tobago and the Windwards in the Caribbean,[2] where it is called manicou.[3] It prefers the woods, but can also live in fields and cities.
Habitat and shelter
This opossum is found in tropical and subtropical forest, both primary and secondary, at altitudes up to 2200 m.[2] They use a wide range of nest sites. Most commonly they will create one in the hollow of a tree; however, they will also dig a burrow or nest in any dark location if nothing else is suitable (which often gets them in trouble with humans). Opossums enjoy denning underground, but do not spend as much time underground when it is dry season. [4] Common predators of the opossum are humans, house pets (ex: dogs and cats), and birds.[5] When they are in danger, they act dead, also called, 'playing opossum.' [6]
Description
The common opossum is similar in size to a
Behavior
Their activity is mainly
Common predators of the opossum are humans, house pets (ex: dogs and cats), and birds.[5] When they are in danger, they act dead, also called, 'playing opossum'.[6]
Diet
Common opossums have a broad ability to adapt to environmental changes, and their teeth allow them to eat many different types of food, which is obtained mostly on the ground. They can eat insects (such as beetles and grasshoppers)[9] and other invertebrates (such as earthworms),[10] small vertebrates (toads [such as cane toads], snakes [such as South American rattlesnakes], birds [such as lance-tailed manakins], and small mammals),[11] fruits, vegetables, nectar,[12] and also carrion. In urban areas, they may find articles of food in compost piles and garbage cans.[13] Their ability to digest almost anything edible gives them a broader range than a human.
Reproduction
The female will have 5-9 offspring between one and three times per year after maturity. The mother raises the young by herself. The common opossum can mate for the majority of the calendar year. They do not mate for life.[14] Female opossums can give birth to at most 24 infants, however, only a third of them usually survive. Young opossums stay with the mother for the first few months of their lives and reach maturity before they are a year old.
Lifespan
The common opossum lives for around 2-4 years.
Classification
They are members of the genus Didelphis, which contains the largest American opossums, and the order Didelphimorphia, to which all Western hemisphere opossums belong. The common opossum is currently not an endangered species.[15]
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Checklist of Mammals of Trinidad and Tobago". Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Biodiversity Clearing House. 2005. Archived from the original on 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ JSTOR 1381069.
- ^ a b "Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) | Incredible Facts". A-Z Animals.
- ^ a b Martina, Leila Siciliano. "Didelphis marsupialis (southern opossum)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ISSN 2215-2075.
- PMID 31867208.
- ^ "Didelphis marsupialis (Southern opossum)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Didelphis marsupialis (Southern opossum)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Didelphis marsupialis (Southern opossum)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Didelphis marsupialis (Southern opossum)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Didelphis marsupialis (Common Opossum or Manicou)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ Medellín, Rodrigo A. (2004). Michael Hutchins (ed.). Didelphimorphia (New World Opossums). Vol. 12 : Mammals I, Gale (2nd ed.). Gale eBooks. pp. 249–265.
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
- , retrieved 2020-11-17