White-eared opossum

White-eared Opossum[1]
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Didelphis
Species: D. albiventris
Binomial name
Didelphis albiventris
Lund, 1840
White-eared Opossum range

The White-eared Opossum (Didelphis albiventris) is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.[3]

It is a terrestrial and, sometimes, arboreal animal, and a habitat generalist, living in a wide range of different habitats. It's an omnivorous animal, feeding on invertebrates, small vertebrates, fruits and plants.[3]

For some time, this species was incorrectly known by the name D. azarae, correctly applied to the Big-eared Opossum. This led to azarae's discontinuation as a species name.[1]

From 1993 until 2002, this species also included the Guianan White-eared Opossum (D. imperfecta) and the Andean White-eared Opossum (D. pernigra) as subspecies.[1]

It is the team mascot of Clube Náutico Capibaribe, a Brazilian football team from Recife, Pernambuco.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gardner, A. L. (2005). "Order Didelphimorphia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Costa, L., Astua de Moraes, D., Brito, D., Soriano, P., Lew, D. & Delgado, C. (2008). Didelphis albiventris. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  3. 3.0 3.1 Eisenberg, John F., Redford, Kent H. (2000). Mammals of the Neotropics: Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil.