Mouse Opossum (Marsupilaia didelphidae)

The Mouse Opossum

The word marsupial brings to mind the bouncy animals with pouches that we all know as the kangaroo, or the slow moving opossum with a litter of babies riding on its back.  In many ways the Mouse Opossum bears little resemblance to what we associate with marsupials.  It does, however, have the same ability to “roll down” its ears (in the same manner that a sail is unfurled). At night its eyes reflecting light appear to be bright red in color.  Even though it tends to be a slow moving creature, the Mouse Opossum is extremely feisty when angry.  

Most species of the Mouse Opossums can be found in forested regions, but some may be found on the pampas, in the Andes, or on banana plantations.  Each species of the Mouse Opossum has a unique nesting instinct.  Some build nests of leaves and twigs in trees or take over an abandoned bird’s nest; others find burrows or logs to nest in.  Some Mouse Opossums are actually nomadic and travel from place to place not staying in any one nest for more than three months.

There is a huge amount of variation between different species of the Mouse Opossum.  Some are as small as 85 mm while others more than double their size at 185 mm in length.  All groups have darker upper bodies ranging from gray to dark brown with paler under parts.  Dark marking around the eyes are evident in most of these marsupials. All sport a tail, but none have the expected pouch.

Insects, fruit, small rodents, lizards and birds’ eggs are on the menu for the Mouse Opossum.  Grasshoppers should take cover when one of the creatures comes near!  The Mouse Opossum has a reputation for killing grasshoppers with numerous bites on the head and thorax.  It will then feast on the front portion, leaving the hinder parts and rear legs untouched.  What’s for dessert?  Raw sugar is the favorite of many species.

Breeding times are unique to individual species, but the mother Mouse Opossum will carry its young for twenty-three days.  She usually has seven to nine babies in the wild, but fewer when in captivity.  Her litters grow smaller and farther apart after she reaches one year old (half the life expectancy of a Mouse Opossum).

Mouse Opossums are nocturnal creatures who eat, travel and mate during the night hours.  As a result, humans are not serious threats to their existence.  The clearing away of brush in the Andes Mountain areas jeopardizes some species.

Did you know?

Female Mouse Opossums are intolerant of one another.

When bananas are shipped into a country, dockworkers often come in contact with stowaway Mouse Opossums.

Further Information on the Mouse Opossum:

E-mail info@brazilianfauna.com to add your Mouse Opossum related website.

Bibliography:

www.press.jhu.edu/books/walkers_mammals_of_the_world/marsupialia

Kricher, John. (August 1999).  A Neotropical Companion.  Princeton Univeristy Press (2^nd Rev. Edition)