Black-shouldered Opossum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black-shouldered Opossum
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Subfamily: Caluromyinae
Genus: Caluromysiops
Sanborn, 1951
Species: C. irrupta
Binomial name
Caluromysiops irrupta
Sanborn, 1951

The Black-shouldered Opossum (Caluromysiops irrupta), also known as the White-eared Opossum is an opossum species from South America. It's found in multistrata evergreen Amazonian forests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

It's a rare animal species and, probably, highly arboreal. When in captivity they can feed on fruits and small rodents. In the wild, they also feed on nectar, serving as pollinators.

This species is considered one of the large opossums, with a head-body length of about 28 cm with a 30 cm tail. Two stripes from the front feet along the back to the rear feet distinguish the type.

[edit] References

  • New World Marsupial Specialist Group (1996). Caluromysiops irrupta. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable and the criteria used
  • Eisenberg, John F.; Kent H. Redford (2000). Mammals of Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil. 
  • Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 4. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 

[edit] External links