OPOSSUM Didelphis Virginiana

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OPOSSUM Didelphis virginiana The Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is the only marsupial (pouched animal) native to North America. The opossum is not a native species to Vermont, but a population has become established here. The opossum is mostly active at night, being what is referred to as ‘nocturnal.’ They are very good climbers and capable swimmers. These two skills help the opossum avoid predators. It is well known for faking death (also called ‘playing possum’) as another means of outwitting its enemies. The opossum adapts to a wide variety of habitats which has led to its widespread distribution throughout the United States. Vermont Wildlife Fact Sheet Physical Description Opossums breed every other areas near water sources. year, having one litter every They have become very The fur of the Virginia two years. Opossums reach common in urban, suburban, opossum is grayish white in the age of sexual maturity at 6 and farming areas. The color and covers the whole to 7 months. opossum is a wanderer and body except the ears and tail. does not stick to a specific They are about the size of a Food Items territory. The opossum uses large house cat, weighing abandoned burrows, tree between 9 and 13 pounds and The opossum is an cavities, hollow logs, attics, having a body length of 24 to insectivore and an omnivore. garages, or building 40 inches. The opossum has a This means they have a foundations. prehensile tail, one which is varied diet of insects, worms, adapted for grasping and fruits, nuts, and carrion (dead hanging. animals). They will also prey on small rodents, voles, Life Cycle shrews, and moles. Opossums will feed at compost piles, Opossums breed in late garbage cans, and bird January to early July. The feeders as well. young are born from February through July. The Habitat young spend 60 days in the female’s pouch. The litter size The opossum inhabits a varies from 5 to 13 young, wide variety of habitats. They with the average being 8. naturally prefer wooded Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department FW 1/2009 Opossum Fact Sheet ♦ .

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A Dated Phylogeny of Marsupials Using a Molecular Supermatrix and Multiple Fossil Constraints
Journal of Mammalogy, 89(1):175–189, 2008 A DATED PHYLOGENY OF MARSUPIALS USING A MOLECULAR SUPERMATRIX AND MULTIPLE FOSSIL CONSTRAINTS ROBIN M. D. BECK* School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/89/1/175/1020874 by guest on 25 September 2021 Phylogenetic relationships within marsupials were investigated based on a 20.1-kilobase molecular supermatrix comprising 7 nuclear and 15 mitochondrial genes analyzed using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches and 3 different partitioning strategies. The study revealed that base composition bias in the 3rd codon positions of mitochondrial genes misled even the partitioned maximum-likelihood analyses, whereas Bayesian analyses were less affected. After correcting for base composition bias, monophyly of the currently recognized marsupial orders, of Australidelphia, and of a clade comprising Dasyuromorphia, Notoryctes,and Peramelemorphia, were supported strongly by both Bayesian posterior probabilities and maximum-likelihood bootstrap values. Monophyly of the Australasian marsupials, of Notoryctes þ Dasyuromorphia, and of Caenolestes þ Australidelphia were less well supported. Within Diprotodontia, Burramyidae þ Phalangeridae received relatively strong support. Divergence dates calculated using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock and multiple age constraints suggested at least 3 independent dispersals of marsupials from North to South America during the Late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. Within the Australasian clade, the macropodine radiation, the divergence of phascogaline and dasyurine dasyurids, and the divergence of perameline and peroryctine peramelemorphians all coincided with periods of signiﬁcant environmental change during the Miocene. An analysis of ‘‘unrepresented basal branch lengths’’ suggests that the fossil record is particularly poor for didelphids and most groups within the Australasian radiation.
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