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Marsupials of North America — marsupial mammals of North America, within the Didelphimorphia order that is endemic to the Americas. Pages in category "Marsupials of North America" The following 9 pages are in this category, out of 9 total.
The Virginia opossum's ancestors evolved in South America, but spread into North America as part of the Great American Interchange, which occurred mainly after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama about 3 million years ago. Didelphis was apparently one of the later migrants, entering North America about 0.8 million years ago. [10]
The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of North and South America in the late Cenozoic. The Virginia opossum is the only species found in the United States and Canada.
The remaining 30% are distributed across the Americas, primarily in South America, with thirteen species in Central America and a single species, the Virginia opossum, inhabiting North America north of Mexico. Marsupials range in size from a few grams in the long-tailed planigale, [1] to several tonnes in the extinct Diprotodon. [2]
Didelphis is a genus of New World marsupials. The six species in the genus Didelphis, commonly known as Large American opossums, are members of the opossum order, Didelphimorphia. The genus Didelphis is composed of cat-sized omnivorous species, which can be recognized by their prehensile tails and their tendency to feign death when cornered.
First, a word about semantics. Scientifically speaking, possums are marsupials that are native to Australia, while the opossum is found in North America, but Merriam-Webster advises that it’s A ...
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., recently welcomed a one-eyed opossum named Basil, who was rescued after being attacked and is now an ambassador for his species at the zoo.
Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. They are small to medium-sized marsupials, about the size of a large house cat, with a long snout and prehensile tail. Family: Didelphidae (American opossums) Subfamily: Didelphinae. Virginia opossum, D. virginiana [n 1] [n 2] LC