Southern opossum, Black-eared opossum, Gambá, Possum, Manicou, Southern
The Common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is a marsupial species living in the Americas. It is a cat-sized omnivorous animal, which can be recognized by its prehensile tail and its tendency to feign death when cornered.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe fur of the Common opossum is actually yellow in the under-fur, but is hidden by the longer black guard-hairs that cover it, while the tail, fingers, and face are lighter "with the tail being without fur, somewhat similar to a giant rat tail". It has large ears that are usually black, and its face is usually a pale peach in color, with black whiskers and eyes that reflect reddish in light.
Common opossums occur 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. The live in tropical dry and mois forests, but can also be found in fields and cities.
Common opossums are mainly nocturnal and terrestrial, but will also readily climb in trees for nesting. 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. Outside of the breeding season, they are usually solitary. A male opossum's home range (distance traveled at night) can vary in size from wet to dry seasons while a female has a more stationary home range when she is breeding. Males are usually most active between 11 pm and 3 am at night. Common opossums comunicate with the help of visual displays and vocally; their common sounds include growls, hissing, or screeches.
Common opossums are polygynous breeders, meaning that males mate with more than one female. After the gestation period of 13-15 days, females give birth to 5-9 offspring. They may reproduce between one and three times per year and raise their young by themselves. The young are born tiny, blind, and helpless and remain inside the mother's pouch for about 50 days. They usually stay with the mother for the first few months of their lives and reach maturity before they are one year old.
Common opossums are currently not endangered, however, in some areas of their range they are collected for their meat. These animals are aslo often trapped and killed because they are considered pests due to their somewhat raccoon-like behavior; they raid trash cans, nest in locations that are not suitable, and caus mayhem if encountered within a human living space.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Common opossum total population size. Currently this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.