Southern red-sided opossum
The southern red-sided opossum (Monodelphis sorex) is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
| Southern red-sided opossum[1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Didelphimorphia |
| Family: | Didelphidae |
| Genus: | Monodelphis |
| Species: | M. sorex |
| Binomial name | |
| Monodelphis sorex (Hensel, 1872) | |
 | |
| Southern red-sided opossum range | |
This opossum has small rounded ears, a long pointed nose and a tail which is half as long as its body. The head, neck and foreparts are grey, the back is dark brown and the rump is reddish. It has short fur and the males are larger than the females. It is terrestrial and mainly feeds on insects, although it will also eat small vertebrates and fruit. Unlike most marsupials, the female has no pouch for the developing young. They cling to the mother's nipples and when they are older, ride on her back and flanks.[3]
It is also called the shrewish short-tailed opossum, or dwarf short-tailed opossum.[4]
References
- Gardner, A. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- Vieira, E.; Astua de Moraes, D. & Brito, D. (2008). "Monodelphis sorex". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
- "ARKive.org". Archived from the original on 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- http://www.knowyoursto.com/didelphidae/monodelphis.html#monodelphis_sorex Archived 2006-04-27 at the Wayback Machine
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