The black-shouldered opossum (''Caluromysiops irrupta''), also known as the white-eared opossum, is an opossum known from western

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and southeastern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. It was first described by Colin Campbell Sanborn, curator of Field Museum of Natural History, in 1951. The black-shouldered opossum is characterized by a gray coat, gray underbelly, and broad black stripes that extend from the forefeet, meet on the shoulders, run along the midline of the back and then split into parallel stripes that run down the hind feet. Little is known of the behavior of the black-shouldered opossum. It is nocturnal and

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

. It is known to feed on fruits and rodents. The opossum inhabits humid forests. The IUCN classifies it as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Taxonomy

The black-shouldered opossum is the sole member of ''Caluromysiops'', and is placed in the family Didelphidae. No subspecies are recognized. The

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...

below, based on a 2016 study, shows the

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

relationships of the brown-eared woolly opossum.

Description

The black-shouldered opossum is characterized by a gray coat, gray underbelly with buff-tipped hairs, and broad black stripes that extend from the forefeet, meet on the shoulders, run along the midline of the back and then split into parallel stripes that run down the hindfeet. Indistinct dark lines run through the eyes. 60 to 75 percent of the length of the tail is darker than the coat dorsally (on the back), while the rest is white. Except for the last 75 percent of the length at the base, the tail is bushy. Like '' Caluromys'' species, its fur is soft, thick and woolly, and has a similar skull. However, it differs from them in having a shorter

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships * Ros ...

and larger molars. The head-and-body length is between and the tail measures . The hindfeet measure , while the ears .

Ecology and behavior

The black-shouldered opossum's behavior is not well documented. It is nocturnal and

. It spends a significant amount of time in trees, mainly on high branches. Studies suggest individual diet preferences; the opossums feed on rodents as well as fruits. Lifespan in captivity has been known to exceed seven years. Up to two young have been recorded.

Distribution and status

The black-shouldered opossum occurs in humid forests of western

and southeastern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and probably in Bolivia as well. It is known only from five different localities. The IUCN classifies it as

given its wide distribution and presumably large population. A possible threat to its survival is deforestation.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q301041 Mammals described in 1951 Marsupials of South America Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Peru Opossums Taxa named by Colin Campbell Sanborn