por He opossum can have up to 21 pups and cares for them in the marsupial pouch. It is a mammal that belongs to the marsupial family. The scientific name is didelphis marsupialsand are generally known as possums.
They are predominantly nocturnal and arboreal animals (their movement on the ground is clumsy and slow). They are characterized by their elongated snout, bushy fur, prehensile tail and the presence, in females, of a pouch where they care for, feed and transport their young.
The size varies depending on the species of opossum. In general terms, they measure around 60 centimeters and weigh about 5 kilograms. Their life expectancy is also variable, being in some species from two to three years and in others reaching eight.
They inhabit the entire Australian continent. They are also present throughout the American continent, from Canada to Argentina. Thanks to their ability to adapt, they live in different habitats ranging from xeric scrub to tropical forests.
How do opossums care for their young and how many can they have?
Opossums or opossums reproduce sexually. During mating season, females secrete odors that attract males.
Females have a bifurcated vagina that leads to two ovaries, two uteri, and two cervixes. During sexual intercourse, the male deposits sperm through a forked penis that attaches to the female’s reproductive organ. This animal species reproduces between two and three times a year.
The gestation period of opossums is relatively short. It lasts from 11 to 13 days. Later the pups will be born. Due to the lack of a placenta, newborn opossums are about the size of a bee and are not fully developed.
Females can give birth to a variable number of young, ranging from 4 to 21 newborns that will immediately migrate to the pouch. There are the nipples, from which they will feed between 90 and 108 days.
The marsupium is the most striking feature of the marsupial family, which includes the opossum or opossum. It is an epidermal bag formed by skin folds that cover the nipples and mammary organs.
It works as a shelter and provides the necessary heat for the pups to survive while they are nursing, since these, in such early stages of life, cannot regulate their body temperature by themselves.
Because the female only has about 13 teats, the remaining young will not survive and will be expelled from the pouch.
First 15 days
As they grow, the young will fully develop. In the first 15 days of life, the hind legs develop and they can voluntarily wag their tail.
17 days
At 17 days, the sexual organs become visible. Between 20 and 25 days, the hind legs acquire movement and at 30 days hair growth begins all over the body.
50 days
By the time they are 50 days old, the pups will be about the size of a small mouse, will have developed short fur, and will begin to open their eyes and move their mouths at will.
70 days
When they are 70 days old, the pups have longer and thicker fur, they will be able to open and close their mouths and eyes completely. 10 days later they will be larger, similar to that of a large rat, and will have canines, incisors and premolars.
When they already have the developed dental apparatus, the young can begin to feed on soft foods and some fruits.
At this point, they will frequently emerge from the pouch and climb onto the mother’s back, where they will spend the day while she hunts or forages. This will continue to happen until the pups develop a size and weight that will prevent the mother from carrying them on her back.
From that moment on, the pups will enter the mature stage, begin their sexual development six to eight months after birth, and will be completely separated from the mother.
Finally, the young will have learned to hunt, to look for food such as fruits, insects and birds, among others. They will also learn how to fend for themselves in their habitat and develop instincts and behaviors that will allow them to survive against predators such as owls, snakes, and pumas.
More information about opossums
Opossums or opossums can survive at different heights. Specimens have been found that inhabit areas above sea level, and others that live at 3,000 meters.
Throughout the world they receive various names: in Colombia they are known as chuchas or faras, in Ecuador as foxes, in Mexico they are known as opossums, while in Guatemala they are known as tacuacines.
They are also known as foxes, guasalos, mucas, canchalucos, carachupas, weasels. In Brazil they receive names derived from Portuguese, they are known as gamba, mucura or sarigué.
Its name in English is Opossum, and the scientific name they receive is, depending on the species, Didelphis marsupialis and Didelphis virginiana.
They are omnivorous animals, so they feed on various sources such as fruits, insects, worms, birds, amphibians, eggs, cereals, blood, and even human waste and garbage.
This large feeding capacity, coupled with strong-muscled jaws, allows opossums to survive in almost any habitat.
They are excellent climbers and spend much of their lives in trees. Their movements are faster and more graceful on the trees thanks to their prehensile tail, five fingers on each limb, and on the hind legs they have opposable thumbs.
Opossums are notorious for making their predators believe they are dead. They drop their tongues out, their vital signs drop to a minimum, and even their eyes glaze over.
When the predator thinks that the opossum has died, it releases it and it is at that moment that the opossum or opossum takes the opportunity to flee.
References
Animals. Opossums. Retrieved from nationalgeographic.com.
Alina Brandford. Facts about the common Opossum. Retrieved from livescience.com.