Opossum

Nordopossum ( Didelphis virginiana)

The opossums ( Didelphidae ) are a family of marsupials and the only representative of the order Didelphimorphia. They are the most species-rich marsupial group outside Australia and live on the American continent. Sometimes the opossums opossums are called, in the strict sense, are in German but only the species of the genus Didelphis.

Physique

Externally, many possums mice or rats are similar to those are not closely related. Your body is 8 to 50 inches long, the weight varies between 13 grams and 5 kilograms with the possums. The coat is usually dense, woolly, colored short and rather different. The tail usually exceed the body in length and can be used in many ways as a prehensile tail. The legs are rather short, all four feet end in five toes, the big toe of the hind legs can be compared with the other toes. Up on the big toe of the hind legs all the toes bear nails.

The head is elongated and pointed, the ears are usually large and round. All opossums have 50 teeth, the dental formula is 5/4-1/1-3/3-4/4.

Dissemination

Opossums live in all of Central and South America, a kind that Nordopossum has expanded its habitat in the U.S. and even southern Canada. They inhabit a variety of habitats, from rain forests to grasslands. Some species, such as possums, have adapted their way of life synanthropic the people and were able to open up in this way new habitats.

Lifestyle and diet

Opossums are mainly nocturnal and live as a loner. Many species live in trees, others on the ground, a way of swimming Beutler, is adapted to life in the water.

The life expectancy of opossums is usually small and rarely exceeds 2 to 4 years.

Opossums are meat or omnivores; smaller species of insects, larger and smaller mammals and birds. Also carrion and plant food such as fruits, seeds and leaves are on the menu.

Reproduction

Only a few genera, such as the opossum, or swimming Beutler have a bag, the other best skin folds, where five to 27 teats are hidden. The gestation period of the opossum is very short, often only 12 to 14 days, making it one of the shortest of all mammals. The litter size is generally high, and the development time of the newborns shortly. The life expectancy of many species is only a year or two.

System

The opossums, together with the Mausopossums the superiority of the Ameridelphia that include all marsupials of the Americas except for the Chiloé opossum. However, the Ameridelphia are probably paraphyletic, so the possums form the sister taxon of all other marsupials. Recently, some new genera erected ( Cryptonanus, Chacodelphys and Tlacuatzin ), these changes are not yet generally accepted, the position of Hyladelphys kalinowskii is controversial.

The following recent genera are distinguished today:

• Subfamily wool opossums ( Caluromyinae ) Wool opossums ( Caluromys )
• Tie- wool opossum ( Caluromysiops irrupta )
• Bush -tailed possum ( Glironia venusta )

• Chaco opossum ( Chacodelphys formosa )
• Swimming Beutler ( Chironectes minimus )
• Cryptonanus
• Opossums ( Didelphis )
• Gracilinanus
• Hyladelphys kalinowskii
• Patagonian opossum ( Lestodelphys halli )
• Dick tail possum ( Lutreolina crassicaudata )
• Dwarf opossums ( Marmosa )
• Slim pouch rats ( Marmosops )
• Naked-tailed opossum ( Metachirus nudicaudatus )
• Woolly dwarf opossums ( Micoureus )
• Shrew opossums ( Monodelphis )
• Four eyes opossums ( Philander )
• Fat-tailed opossums ( Thylamys )
• Grey Dwarf opossum ( Tlacuatzin canescens )