- Northern red-sided opossum
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Northern red-sided opossum[1] Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Didelphimorphia Family: Didelphidae Genus: Monodelphis Species: M. brevicaudata Binomial name Monodelphis brevicaudata
(Erxleben, 1777)
Northern red-sided opossum range The northern red-sided opossum, Monodelphis brevicaudata, is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil. French Guyana, Guyana, Surinam and Venezuela.
Contents
Size
Body length is 11-14 cm (4 1/4-5 1/2 in). Tail length is 4.5-6.5 cm (1 3/4-2 1/2 in).
Behavior
They live in forested areas, but are poor climbers and stay on the forest floor. They are nocturnal and during the day they build nests in hollow logs or tree trunks. Their diet consists of seeds, shoots and fruits, insects, carrion and some small rodents. Rodents are killed with a powerful bite in the back of the head. [3]
Litters of up to 14 young are born any time during the year. They have no pouch so the young cling to the mother's fur and nipples and ride on her back when older .[3]
References
- ^ Gardner, Alfred (16 November 2005). Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 14. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Catzeflis, F., Costa, P., Lew, D. & Soriano, P. (2008). Monodelphis brevicaudata. 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
- ^ a b Dr. Whitfield, Philip.The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Animals, New York:Marshall Editions Development Limited, 1998. pg 21.
External links
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