Linnaeus's mouse opossum

Linnaeus's mouse opossum

Common, Murine mouse opossum

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Infraclass
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Marmosa murina

Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina ), also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae.

Appearance

It is pale beige to grey on its underparts with short, smooth fur. Its face appears to have a black mask on it, its eyes are prominent, and its ears are very upright. Its tail, which females use to carry leaves, is much longer than the rest of its body.

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Linnaeus's mouse opossum has a body length of approximately 11–14.5 centimetres (4.3–5.7 in), with a tail of approximately 13.5–21 cm (5.3–8.3 in) long. It weighs about 250 grams (8.8 oz).

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Distribution

Geography

Its range includes Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and eastern Bolivia.

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This opossum is most commonly sighted near forest streams and human habitation. A nocturnal creature, it shelters during the day in a mesh of twigs on a tree branch, a tree hole, or an old bird's nest.

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Linnaeus's mouse opossum habitat map
Linnaeus's mouse opossum habitat map
Linnaeus's mouse opossum
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Habits and Lifestyle

It eats insects, spiders, lizards, bird's eggs, chicks, and fruits.

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Linnaeus's mouse opossum has a gestation period of approximately 13 days, and gives birth to 5–10 young.

The mouse opossum will "play dead" if it thinks that it is in danger, it will even smell as if it were dead.

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Lifestyle

References

1. Linnaeus's mouse opossum Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus's_mouse_opossum
2. Linnaeus's mouse opossum on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/40505/22174039

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