Black-shouldered opossum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-shouldered opossum |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caluromysiops
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| Species: |
irrupta
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| Black-shouldered opossum range | |
The black-shouldered opossum (also called the white-eared opossum) is a type of opossum that lives in western Brazil and southeastern Peru. A scientist named Colin Campbell Sanborn first described it in 1951.
It has a gray body with a gray belly. It also has wide black stripes that start at its front feet, meet on its shoulders, and then run down its back to its hind feet. Not much is known about how it behaves. It is nocturnal (active at night) and arboreal (lives in trees). It eats fruits and small rodents. This opossum lives in humid forests. The IUCN (a group that studies nature) says it is of least concern, meaning it's not currently in danger.
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What is a Black-shouldered Opossum?
The black-shouldered opossum is special because it's the only animal in its group, called Caluromysiops. It belongs to the opossum family, Didelphidae. There are no different types (subspecies) of this opossum.
What Does It Look Like?
The black-shouldered opossum has soft, thick, and woolly fur. Its body is gray, and its belly is also gray with light brown tips on the hairs.
It has broad black stripes that start at its front feet. These stripes meet on its shoulders and then run along the middle of its back. After that, they split into two parallel stripes that go down its hind feet. It also has faint dark lines around its eyes.
Most of its tail (about 60 to 75 percent) is darker on top than its body. The rest of the tail is white. The tail is bushy, except for the last 75 percent near its base. This opossum has a shorter snout and bigger molar teeth compared to some other opossums. Its head and body are about 25 to 33 centimetres (9.8 to 13.0 in) long. Its tail measures about 31 to 40 centimetres (12 to 16 in). Its hind feet are about 6.7 centimetres (2.6 in) long, and its ears are about 3.7 centimetres (1.5 in).
Where Does It Live and What Does It Do?
Not much is known about the black-shouldered opossum's daily life. It is nocturnal, which means it is active at night. It is also arboreal, meaning it spends a lot of time in trees, especially on high branches.
Studies show that these opossums eat different things. They feed on both small rodents and fruits. In zoos, some black-shouldered opossums have lived for more than seven years. They have been known to have up to two babies at a time.
Where Can You Find Them?
The black-shouldered opossum lives in the humid forests of western Brazil and southeastern Peru. It might also live in Bolivia. There have been some reports of sightings near the Peru-Ecuador border, but these were likely from opossums kept in captivity.
This opossum is known from only five different places. The IUCN has listed it as least concern. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing. This is because it lives in a wide area and probably has a large population. However, cutting down forests (deforestation) could be a threat to its survival in the future.
