Southern opossum [1] ( lat. Didelphis marsupialis ) is a species of mammals from the family of opossums.
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| Didelphis marsupialis ( Linnaeus , 1758) | ||||||||||||||
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Security status IUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 40501 |
Southern opossum is common in Central and South America. It lives at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level. This species tolerates a wide range of habitats, including rainforests and subtropical forests, artificial forests and outskirts of settlements, where it feeds on garbage. This species lives in extreme heights or in extremely arid zones.
The animal has a stocky build. Fur with long outer hair gives these animals a somewhat disheveled appearance. The fur color on the back is often dark, usually blackish or greyish, but in rare cases it may be whitish. The fur color on the belly is yellow or cream. The fur on the muzzle is, first of all, whitish, there is a dark strip from the top of the nose to the nose and black rings around both eyes. The ears are large and completely black. The southern opossum has sharp claws, long whiskers and, above all, a bare prehensile tail that is slightly longer than the body. Males are slightly larger than females and have longer canines. The length of the body is 37 cm, the length of the tail is 39.5 cm.
This species has been studied quite well in the northern part of the range. It is nocturnal, woody (although other species of this genus are much more woody), and are usually solitary, although two or more individuals may be nearby during the breeding season. They begin their daily activities about an hour before sunset, however, peak activity is observed from 11 pm to 3 am. Have a very wide range of food, which varies seasonally. Their diet includes invertebrates, vertebrates, leaves, fruits, nectar and carrion. Regardless of the season, invertebrates are a major component of their diet, including worms, beetles and grasshoppers. They have obvious immunity to the poison of many members of the viper family and can attack rattlesnakes. Females build a nest of leaves in a hollow tree or hole. They usually live less than 2 years.
Southern opossum often becomes a victim of collisions with cars. The natural enemies are ocelot , jaguarundi , and South American harpy .
The size of the offspring varies with latitude, decreasing near the equator. The breeding season is also variable depending on the latitude. Pregnancy lasts from 13 to 15 days. The southern possum has a polygynous mating system in which males compete for females of reproductive age. Estrus lasts from 5 to 32 days. When resources are limited or unavailable, animals may decide not to mate. From 2 to 20 undeveloped cubs are born, but females have only 9 nipples. Tiny newborns are usually about 1 cm long and weigh about 0.13 grams. Although they are underdeveloped, newborns have well-developed claws on their front legs, which help them climb into the mother's bag. After that, they remain attached to the mammary glands for about 50 days. The offspring ceases to be fed with milk and becomes independent at the age of 90 to 125 days, often when fruits are abundant.
No big threats for this species. In Suriname, it is mined for meat, which is illegally exported to French Guiana. This species is found in many protected areas.
Notes
- ↑ Sokolov V. Ye. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Mammals. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V.E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., 1984. - p. 10. - 10 000 copies.