Dwarf possum: a unique marsupial animal

On planet Earth there are about two hundred species of marsupials. Of these, two-thirds of their homeland consider Australia. On this continent, due to its isolation from other continents, its unique fauna has been preserved. The most famous Australian marsupials are kangaroos and koalas. But there are other animals that have a skin fold on their belly. The family of opossums also belongs to such. But not everything is so simple. The bag is not in all species. In addition, not all opossums live in Australia. Most of their species live only in the American continent. In this article, you will learn what a small dwarf opossum is. The photo of this pretty crumbs will soften the heart even for completely unsentimental people, especially when the baby confidently sleeps in human hands.

Why you need a bag

Despite the different body structure, size, nutrition and lifestyle, most Australian animals have one common anatomical feature. This is a bag, which is a skin fold on the belly of a female. It can be either very deep, or barely noticeable, to open forward or backward. Many endemics of Australia are united by this anatomical feature that has disappeared in species of animals living on other continents. But at the same time, the opossum marsupial is found not only on the Green Continent and in New Guinea, but also in South and North America. Why is this abdominal cavity necessary? The fact is that the cubs of the marsupials are born underdeveloped. After all, the pregnancy does not last long - 8-40 days. These are actually embryos. For example, in a kangaroo the newborn reaches only three centimeters in length. But they are very tenacious. Newborn babies climb the belly of the mother in search of a bag. There they find a nipple and fall for it for weeks. Even reaching maturity, the young in the event of danger, seeking shelter in the mother's bag. But the opossums showed their uniqueness here. Not all of them have bags. Some of them are equipped with a rudimentary fold, and some have no trace. For example, the dwarf opossum does not have a brood bag.

Brief description of the family

The family of opossums has about eighty species. Most of them live in the equatorial forests of Central and South America. Outwardly, these small animals of the size of 7-50 centimeters resemble mice or rats. As some species have a naked, woolless tail. However, unlike rodents, this appendage plays an important role in the life of the animal. Tail of opossum cling to branches of trees, they also "rule" when jumping. Sometimes it is thickened at the base by fat deposits. Opossums most often live in the crowns of trees, but there are species that lead a terrestrial or semi-aquatic life. They eat mainly insects, but there are also those, whose food is the nectar of flowers. The dwarf opossum (Marmosa murina), also called the Eneva mouse, lives on trees in the rainforest between the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. These animals are active at dusk.

Dwarf opossum

Despite the name, it is not the smallest member of the family. Its length can reach up to 31 centimeters, of which more than half falls on the grasping bare tail. The coat of the animal is yellowish-gray above, and the abdomen is of a lighter color. Bags, as already indicated, this kind of opossum is not. The animal lives in the crowns of trees - in hollows, hollows under the bark. Eneva mouse is truly omnivorous. Do not disdain and bird eggs. But most of all she likes fruits, as well as a variety of crickets and other insects. The life expectancy of this mouse reaches eight years. The female brings to the litter 10-12 cubs. For want of a bag, babies just hang on her breasts. And when the cubs grow up a little, they move to their mothers on their backs.

Other types of possum-pygmies

This tiny animal can be called an elf. It feeds exclusively on flower nectar and fruit, like a moth. Meet: oriental dwarf opossum, or dormouse. Its length is 12 centimeters, and eight of them are tail. Sony are active in the summer and inactive in winter, for which they received their second nickname. When the opossum eats well, he lays fat at the base of the tail. The dwarf opossum also belongs to dwarfs and dwell in Brazil, Argentina and Peru. He does not have a bag, and his body length reaches 15 centimeters. A record among the Lilliputians is the Chak opossum. The length of his body is only 68 millimeters.

Australian dwarf opossum

In fact, these small animals represent a very different family - Burramyidae. Yes, and they are called posums. This name was given to animals by James Cook, who described the species representative at the opening of Queensland. Far from biology, the captain compared the new animal with the American possum known to him. But in his notes he made a blot: missed the initial letter "o". So it was fixed for the Australian beast name "posum". Now scientists identify five species of the family Burramyidae. They are found in the east of Australia and in New Guinea. Of these, only one species - mountain couscous - falls into hibernation. The Australian dwarf opossum has a well-defined, forward-opening bag. This animal has large eyes, small rounded ears and a long grasping tail.