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As marsupials, female opossums have a reproductive system that includes a bifurcated vagina and a divided uterus; many have a pouch. [29] The average estrous cycle of the Virginia opossum is about 28 days. [30] Opossums do possess a placenta, [31] but it is short-lived, simple in structure, and, unlike that of placental mammals, not fully ...
The water opossum and the now extinct Tasmanian tiger are the only two marsupials where the male also has a pouch (in order to protect their genitalia while swimming). [7] Some marsupials (e.g. phascogales) lack the true, permanent pouches seen in other species. Instead, they form temporary skin folds (sometimes called "pseudo-pouches") in the ...
A pouch is present in most species. Many marsupials have a permanent bag, while in others such as the shrew opossum the pouch develops during gestation, where the young are hidden only by skin folds or in the maternal fur. The arrangement of the pouch is variable to allow the offspring to receive maximum protection.
Females have a gestation period of 16–18 days, after which they give birth to single young. [7] [8] A newborn brushtail possum is only 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long and weighs only 2 g (0.07 oz). As usual for marsupials, the newborn may climb, unaided, through the female's fur and into the pouch and attach to a teat.
No other mammal in North America has more than 6 upper incisors, but the Virginia opossum has 10. Perhaps surprisingly for such a widespread and successful species, the Virginia opossum has one of the lowest encephalization quotients of any marsupial. [19] Its brain is one-fifth the size of a raccoon's. [20]
Being a marsupial and at the same time an aquatic animal, the water opossum has evolved a way to protect its young while swimming. A strong ring of muscle makes the pouch (which opens to the rear) watertight, so the young remain dry, even when the mother is totally immersed in water. [6]
An opossum that ran across the field during Texas Tech’s home game against TCU has become a viral meme overnight. ... posting a photo of the marsupial with its teeth bared and claws digging into ...
Unlike most other marsupials, the gray short-tailed opossum does not have a true pouch. The scientific name Monodelphis is derived from Greek and means "single womb" (referring to the lack of a pouch) and the Latin word domestica which means "domestic" (chosen because of the species' habit of entering human dwellings). [3]