Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Thylamys
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| Species: |
sponsorius
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| Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum range | |
The Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum (Thylamys sponsorius) is a small animal. It looks a bit like a mouse, but it is actually a type of opossum. These opossums belong to the family Didelphidae, which includes many different kinds of opossums.
This tiny creature lives in South America. You can find it in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountains. Its home is in northern Argentina and southern Bolivia.
What It Looks Like
The Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum has soft fur. Its fur is gray-brown to dark brown on its back. The fur on its belly is mostly gray. However, the hairs on its chest are white or yellowish.
These opossums have a special feature called "postorbital ridges." These are small bony bumps located behind their eye sockets. Scientists used to think these ridges helped tell the Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum apart from a similar animal, the Cinderella fat-tailed mouse opossum (T. cinderella).
Comparing with the Cinderella Opossum
The Cinderella fat-tailed mouse opossum has clear, well-developed bony ridges behind its eyes. These ridges are present in both young and adult animals. They also stick out to the sides, past the eye sockets.
For the Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum, it's a bit different. Only adult animals have fully developed bony ridges. Also, these ridges do not stick out past the eye sockets.
However, scientists have studied the mitochondrial DNA of these animals. This DNA analysis suggests that the Argentine fat-tailed mouse opossum might not be a completely separate species from the Cinderella fat-tailed mouse opossum after all. They might be very closely related, or even the same.
See also
In Spanish: Marmosa coligruesa argentina para niños
