Brown four-eyed opossum

Brown Four-eyed Opossum[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Subfamily: Didelphinae
Genus: Metachirus
Burmeister, 1854
Species: M. nudicaudatus
Binomial name
Metachirus nudicaudatus
(É. Geoffroy, 1803)
Brown Four-eyed Opossum range

The Brown Four-eyed Opossum (Metachirus nudicaudatus) is a pouchless marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is found in different forested habitats of Central and South America,[2] from Nicaragua and to Paraguay and northern Argentina.[1] It is the only species in the genus Metachirus.[1]

It is a strongly nocturnal, terrestrial and omnivorous animal, feeding on fruits, small vertebrates and invertebrates.

The Brown Four-eyed Opossum builds nests made of leaves and twigs in tree branches or under rocks and logs. It is seasonally polyestrous and the litter size varies from one to nine.

The white spot over each eye inspired the common name of "Four-Eyed Opossum". Its scaly tail is longer than its body.

References

  1. ^ a b c 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. 12. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=10400110. 
  2. ^ a b Brito, D., Astua de Moraes, D., Lew, D., Soriano, P., Emmons, L., Cuarón, A. D., Helgen, K., Reid, R., Vazquez, E. & Sarmudio, R. (2008). Metachirus nudicaudatus. 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