Andean opossum
| Andean opossum | ||||||||||||
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The animal was caught approximately 2,600 meters above sea level in rural areas near Cotacachi , Ecuador. |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Didelphis pernigra | ||||||||||||
| Allen , 1900 |
The Andean opossum ( Didelphis pernigra ), also known as the Andean white ear propossum , is a species of marsupial that occurs on the forested slopes of the northern Andes from northwestern Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to western Bolivia.
description
The animals reach a head body length of 33 to 44 cm, have a 32 to 41 cm long tail and reach a weight of 0.72 to 1.2 kg. Males and females have a different skull shape. The fur on the back is blackish. It consists of two layers of hair, a lower layer formed by hair with a light, yellowish-white base and black tips, and a layer of black top hair . The belly hair is whitish with black tips, the throat is rust-colored. The head is whitish and shows the dark mask markings typical of opossums, a central, increasingly narrowing line that extends from the forehead to between the eyes, and dark circles around the eyes that taper to the nose. The fur is gray between the back of the eyes and the base of the ears. The ears are large and whitish to rosy. They contrast clearly with the black fur on the top of the head and the back. Front and rear legs as well as front and rear feet are black. The tail is black, the tip is yellowish white. The body third of the tail is hairy, the rest is hairless.
Habitat and way of life
The Andean opossum comes in mountain forests and dry forests at altitudes of over 1500 meters before, in Venezuela and in the lower Paramo , at the dry Pacific coast of Peru in the lowlands in the vegetation of riverbanks. In general, the species is adaptable and can also be found in secondary forests, on arable land and on the edges of human settlements. Andean opossums live more on the ground than on trees or bushes. In western Venezuela, 86% of trapped Andean opossums have fallen into traps that were placed on the ground. So far nothing is known about nutrition and little is known about reproductive behavior. In Venezuela, females with pups were observed in February and March, as well as in June and July. The gestation period is likely only 12 days. In Colombia, females had between two and seven pups.
Danger
The Andean opossum is considered safe. It has a relatively large range, is common, and is also found in some protected areas.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Diego Astúa: Family Didelphidae (Opossums). in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 . Page 162.
- ↑ Didelphis pernigra in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Perez-Hernandez, R., Solari, S., Tarifa, T. & Lew, D., 2015. Accessed November 17, 2018th