Micoureus

Micoureus sp.

The dwarf woolly opossums ( Micoureus ) are a genus of the family of opossums ( Didelphidae ). They are native to Central and South America.

General

Woolly dwarf opossums are mouse-like marsupials, but do not have a bag. Their fur is gray or brown on the top, the underside is lighter, often whitish. Like all smaller opossums They have large eyes, a pointed snout and large ears. As the name suggests, they are characterized by a distinctive dense, woolly fur. These animals can reach a body length 12-21 cm and a tail length of 17-27 centimeters.

Habitat of these opossums are mainly forests. There are nocturnal and solitary, mostly live in trees but sometimes also come to the floor. During the day they sleep in nests made ​​of leaves and twigs. They are omnivorous, taking mainly insects and fruit to himself.

Since the females do not have bags, they drag the pups in the first months of life to their 9 to 15 teats hanging around with them. As with all possums the gestation period should be short and litter size high.

The animals are not tracked directly from the people, but suffer the loss of habitat through deforestation.

System

Until recently, these animals were classified in the genus of dwarf opossums ( Marmosa ). Due to the thick hide, differences in the structure of the skull and the lack of a gland located at the throat they are today managed as a separate genus.

Today at least four types can be distinguished:

• Micoureus demerarae lives in almost all of South America.
• Micoureus alstoni is distributed from Belize to Colombia.
• Micoureus constantiae is native to Central Brazil to northern Argentina.
• Micoureus regina lives in northwestern South America.
• Sometimes additional Micoureus paraguayana and Micoureus phaeus be listed as a separate species.