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American marsupials
Order : Didelphimorphia
More than 60 different kinds of oppossums live in South America and 1 in North America, the Virginia opossum didelphis virginiana. The name opossum is sometimes shortened to possum, which actually is the name for an Australian group of marsupials. These are distinct from opossums which are only found in North and South America. The Virginia opossum is probably best know for its last resort to escaping predators, "playing possum". As a last resort it can fake death to lose interest of its predator. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial living in the wild in the US. They come in different shapes and sizes. They are marsupials meaning that they have a pouch in which they can carry their young. They all belong to the family didelphidae.
Some are living in trees and one, the water opossum or yapok, Chironectes minimus, is aquatic and his hind feet are webbed. The yapok is a long-legged opossum with a relatively broad snout, and a long, almost hairless, scaly tail except at its base. The water opossum is one of very few species able to forage in the trees and underwater. They can be found near streams or rivers in forested areas. Through evolution this marsupial has reversed the opening of its pouch so that the water doesn't force its way in when it is swimming under water. It is the only marsupial known to hunt in the water.
They can weigh as little as 40 grams, mouse opossum, to up to 2 kilograms, didelphis virginiana. Some are very rare, but it is unclear whether that has to do with opossums being nocturnal or that they are becoming extinct.
They have four claw-bearing toes and an opposable "big thumb", which they can move just like a thumb of humans, grabbing something and then move it back to walk or run. They use their prehensile tail for grasping.
Facts about the order Didelphimorphia, the American marsupials
American marsupials are covered in Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, 5 vol.
The most primitive Order, didelphimorphia, is restricted to the Americas.
A fragment of dentary with m4, showing characters of some Late Cretaceous North American marsupials, is assigned to Marsasia sp. (Full text)
(All other American marsupials are members of the Ameridelphia. (Full text)
Didelphimorphia is mentioned in the following topics: AardvarkAfrosoricida Alston's Woolly Mouse OpossumAmeridelphia batCarnivora (Full text)
Phylogenetic analysis of this data set indicates that Didelphimorphia is a basal marsupial lineage followed by Paucituberculata . (Full text)
Didelphimorphia is the only order that occurs in North America. (Full text)
The possible relationships of Australian marsupials to South American marsupials is of considerable interest to biogeographers and evolutionists. (Full text)
This little animal may provide crucial clues for working out how major groups of Australian and South American marsupials are related to one another. (Full text)
Caenolestidae The characteristics of this small family of South American marsupials are described under the order Paucituberculata, of which they are the only living family. (Full text)
AMERICAN MARSUPIALS SUPER COHORT MARSUPIALIACOHORT AMERIDELPHIA The American marsupials are now assigned to two families, the Didelphidae (the opossums), Order Didelphimorphia, (Full text)
Research Didactyla DIDELPHIMORPHIA Didelphimorphia is the opossums order of marsupials. (Full text)
Proposed by TRAVASSOS (1914) as the type species of the genus, was restudied by DURETTE-DESSET (1968) that described the "synlophe" of this species as presenting 3 cuticular longitudinal ventral ridges, directed towards the right side; besides, the author refers that trichostrongylid nematodes parasitizing American marsupials are grouped in two genera: Travassostrongylus Orloff, 1933 and Viannaia Travassos, 1914, considering Camerostrongylus WOLFGANG, 1951 synonym of the former and Phylostrongylus WOLFGANG, 1951, a synonym of the latter as well. (Full text)
I believe the only survivor of the S American marsupials is the Possum ( Opussom ? (Full text)
Links
Opossums-opossums
Read general information about the Virginia opossum, their uses, their habitat and their diet, includes pictures and links.
http://www.opossums-opossums.com
The 'Possum pages
Take the opossum quiz, read facts about the Virginia opossum and personal experience with the opossum.
http://www.kiva.net/~kiwi/opossum/opossum.htm
Window on the woodlands
Read fun facts on "the living fossil", the Virginia opossum. Includes several links to opossum pages.
http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/opossum.htm
References
Myers, P. 2001. "Didelphidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 05, 2005 at
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Didelphidae.html
Opossums Are From South America
http://www.knowyoursto.com/didelphidae/didelphidae.html