Derby's woolly opossum

Derby's woolly opossum
Derby's woolly opossum
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Caluromys
Species: C. derbianus
Binomial name
Caluromys derbianus
(Waterhouse, 1841)
Derby's woolly opossum range

Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum, is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae.[2][3] It is found in the Central American region.

Contents

Habitat

C. derbianus is primarily arboreal and lives in highland and lowland rain forests of Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is found at altitudes up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft).[1] The species is threatened by deforestation.

Physical characteristics

C. derbianus weighs between 200 and 400 grams (7.1 and 14 oz). Its fur coloration varies geographically but often possess a dark strip running from the top of the head to the nose. The digits of the paws are clawed with the exception of the opposable thumb. The prehensile tail makes up two thirds of the length of the animal with the distal half of the tail being naked.

Reproduction

This opossum reaches sexual maturity at seven to nine months. The mating season varies regionally from year-round to only during the dry season (January to July). The litter size is 3-6 live young that attach to a teat in the pouch until mature enough to emerge.

Diet

They are omnivorous although their eating habits have not been well studied in the wild.


References

  1. ^ a b Lew, D., Soriano, P., Cuarón, A. D., Emmons, L., Reid, F. & Helgen, K. (2008). Caluromys derbianus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  2. ^ Gardner, Alfred L. (16 November 2005). "Order Didelphimorphia (pp. 3-18)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). p. 3. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=10400007. 
  3. ^ Gardner, Alfred L. (2007), "Caluromys derbianus", in Gardner, Alfred L., Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 39–116 (p. 100), ISBN 9780226282404, http://google.com/books?id=dbU3d7EUCm8C&pg=PA5 
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