Spectacled slender opossum

Spectacled slender opossum
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Didelphimorphia
Family:	Didelphidae
Genus:	Marmosops
Species:	M. ocellatus
Binomial name
Marmosops ocellatus (Tate, 1931)
Spectacled slender opossum range

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

Description

Marmosops ocellatus has sandy grayish-brown dorsal fur and self-cream that lacks 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 20 to 40 g (0.71 to 1.41 oz) in weight. ^{[2] [3]}

Ecology and population

The spectacled slender opossum inhabits the 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. ^{[3] [4]} 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. ^[1]

References

1. Tarifa, T. (2016). "Marmosops ocellatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T136842A22178618. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136842A22178618.en . Retrieved 4 July 2024.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.