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The word opossum is derived from the Powhatan language and was first recorded between 1607 and 1611 by John Smith (as opassom) and William Strachey (as aposoum). [5] Possum was first recorded in 1613.
[22] [24] Heart rate drops by half, and breathing rate is so slow and shallow it is hardly detectable. [21] Death feigning normally stops when the threat withdraws, and it can last for several hours. [ 21 ] [ 24 ] Besides discouraging animals that eat live prey, playing possum also convinces some large animals that the opossum is no threat to ...
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum [2] or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including Trinidad and Tobago and the Windwards in the Caribbean, [2] where it is called manicou. [3]
This death rate is especially high during the dry season. [5] A major factor that determines survival of young is the mother's age; there are many deaths when the mother is less than 11 months. [6] The average gestation period for the gray four-eyed opossum is 13 to 14 days, and each newborn weighs about 9 grams (0.32 oz). [5]
This shrew opossum lacks a marsupium [9] (young are attached to the nipples) and has seven nipples, unlike the four typical of other caenolestids. [5] The tail helps in balancing the body during locomotion; the relatively shorter tail could imply lesser agility in the long-nosed caenolestid in comparison to other caenolestids.
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The big lutrine opossum ("lutrine" means "otter-like" and "crass" meaning "thick, fat" and "cauda" meaning "tail") is a very peculiar opossum, having a long weasel-like body, short legs, small rounded ears, and dense reddish or yellowish fur. [3] Nocturnal and crepuscular, they generally live in grasslands and savannas near water. They are ...
On the other hand, the younger opossums consume more invertebrates and fruits during the wet season. [12] These relatively small differences in diet can favour the survival of younger opossums during the wet season because they avoid competition with older animals. [12] The diet of white-eared opossums also makes them effective seed dispersers ...