Spectacled slender opossum

The Spectacled slender opossum (Marmosops ocellatus), also known as little spotted slender opossum is a species in the marsupial genus Marmosops from South America.

Spectacled slender opossum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Didelphimorphia
Family: Didelphidae
Genus: Marmosops
Species:
M. ocellatus
Binomial name
Marmosops ocellatus
(Tate, 1931)

Description

Marmosops ocellatus has sandy grayish-brown dorsal fur and self-cream that lack distinct lateral zones of gray-based hairs. The tail is distinctly bicolored (dark above, pale below) and particolored (paler distally than proximally), such that the distal one-third or more of the organ is completely pale in most specimens. Individuals can range from 20g-40g in weight.[1][2]

Ecology and population

The spectacled slender opossum inhabits Chiquitania dry forest, a transitional zone between the Cerrado savannah and Amazon rainforest in central and eastern Bolivia and western Brazil. It is found in mature, disturbed, and secondary forests.[2][3] This species feeds on insects and fruit. It is nocturnal and can climb very well.

Currently Marmosops ocellatus is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN, because of its wide distribution, adaptation to human interference and occurrence in a number of protected areas.[4]

References
  1. Voss, Robert S. (December 2004). "An Introduction to Marmosops (Marsupialia: Didelphidae), with the Description of a New Species from Bolivia and Notes on the Taxonomy and Distribution of Other Bolivian Forms" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3466): 1–40. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2004)466<0001:AITMMD>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 83490188.
  2. Semedo, Thiago Borges Fernandes (May 2013). "New records of the Spectacled Slender Opossum Marmosops ocellatus (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) with comments on its geographic distribution limits". Mammalia. 77 (2): 72ff. doi:10.1515/mammalia-2012-0072. S2CID 84602782.
  3. Caceres, N.C. (2012). "The occurrence of the mouse opossum Marmosops ocellatus (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in western Brazil". Mammalian Biology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-18 – via Academia.
  4. IUCN red list: http://oldredlist.iucnredlist.org/details/136842/0


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