White-eared opossum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-eared opossum |
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| Conservation status | |
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Didelphis
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| Species: |
albiventris
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| White-eared opossum range | |
The white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) is a type of opossum that lives in South America. People call it by different names depending on where they are. In northeast Brazil, it's known as timbu or cassaco. In Bahia, Brazil, it's called saruê or sariguê. In northern Brazil, you might hear it called micurê or mucura. And in Argentina, it's known as comadreja overa.
You can find these opossums in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. They spend most of their time on the ground, but they can also climb trees. They are very adaptable and can live in many different places.
For a while, people mistakenly called this opossum D. azarae. But that name actually belongs to a different opossum, the big-eared opossum. The white-eared opossum is also the team mascot for Clube Náutico Capibaribe, a football team in Brazil!
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What Does the White-Eared Opossum Look Like?
The white-eared opossum usually weighs about one to three pounds. They have fur that is a mix of black and grey. Their ears and face are covered with white hair, which is how they got their name! Their long tails have dark hair.
These opossums are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants and animals. They enjoy eating small bugs, tiny animals, and fruits.
Where Do White-Eared Opossums Live?
White-eared opossums live in many different kinds of places. You can find them in open fields, mountains, and forests where trees lose their leaves. They are common in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Brazil. They also live in the Andes mountains and the humid forests of Guyana, Suriname, and southern Venezuela. These areas have different weather, like how much rain they get, how humid it is, and the temperature.
The white-eared opossum sometimes moves to different places depending on when they are having babies. There are usually more opossums during the wetter seasons. This is when young opossums are old enough to leave their mothers and look for food on their own.
Even though they usually live alone and move around a lot, some opossums might gather together. They can be found in burrows, holes, empty trash cans, or even under houses.
What Do White-Eared Opossums Eat?
South American opossums mostly eat small creatures without backbones, like beetles, millipedes (called diplopods), and harvestmen (called opiliones). They also eat fruits and small animals with backbones, such as little birds, small mammals, snakes that live underground, and fish.
What they eat can change with the seasons and as they get older. During the dry season, older opossums prefer to eat animals with backbones. Younger opossums, however, eat more bugs and fruits during the wet season. These small differences in diet help younger opossums survive during the wet season. It means they don't have to compete with older opossums for the same food.
How Opossums Help Plants Grow
The diet of white-eared opossums also makes them very good at spreading seeds. Younger opossums eat smaller fruits than older opossums. This means adult opossums usually spread larger seeds. However, smaller seeds have a better chance of passing through the opossum's body without being damaged.
Some common fruits that white-eared opossums eat include those from Morus nigra, Vassobia breviflora, Rubus rosifolius, Solanum sanctaecatharinae, and Passiflora actinia. Scientists have studied opossum droppings and found that these seeds can still grow after going through the opossum's digestive system. This shows that the white-eared opossum is an important helper for spreading seeds and helping new plants grow!
See also
In Spanish: Zarigüeya para niños
