Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Marsupialia
Scientific Name:
Didelphis virginiana
Range:
West coast of U.S.-S. Canada to N. Costa Rica, Great Plains of U.S. to eastern coast. East and west areas of Mexico, but not central. Home range is 31-96 acres.
Habitat:
Grasslands to forest-also farms, towns and cities
Diet:
Wild: Depends on location and season: fruit, insects, small vertebrates, carrion, garbage.
Zoo: Low-cal cat food - fish, vegetables, fruit.
Gestation:
13 days
Litter:
Up to 56 born with only 1-15 attaching to mammae. Usually about 7.
Life Span:
2 years
Description:
Opossums have cat sized bodies with the tail usually shorter than the combined length of head and body. The body can be gray, black, reddish, rarely white. The head is whitish with darker body color, ears are black or black with paler tips. Lower legs are black with feet and toes being black and white.
Did You Know?
This was the first marsupial known to Europeans.
Where in the Zoo?
I can be found in the Conservation Education Programs at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
|
