Colombian Mammals

Anderson's Four-eyed Opossum, Philander andersoni, is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Its dorsal fur is dark, with a black stripe, about 3–4 cm wide, going vertically down the midline of its back. Its dorsal fur is short, about 10 mm long. Its ventral fur is dark gray, but still distinctly lighter than the sides and dorsum. Its tail is furred for the first (approximately) 18% of its... less ↑

The brown four-eyed opossum (Metachirus nudicaudatus) is a pouchless marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is found in different forested habitats of Central and South America, from Nicaragua and to Paraguay and northern Argentina, at elevations from sea level to 1500 m. It is the only recognized species in the genus Metachirus, but molecular phylogenetics studies suggest that it should probably be split into several species. Population densities are usually low, and it is uncommon in... less ↑

Alston's mouse opossum (Marmosa alstoni), also known as Alston's opossum, is a medium sized pouchless marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is arboreal and nocturnal, inhabiting forests from Belize to northern Colombia. The main components of its diet are insects and fruits, but it may also eat small rodents, lizards, and bird eggs. It was formerly assigned to the genus Micoureus, which was made a subgenus of Marmosa in 2009. less ↑

The woolly mouse opossum or long-furred woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa demerarae), known locally as the Cuíca, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Its range includes central Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Brazil. It was formerly assigned to the genus Micoureus, which was made a subgenus of Marmosa in 2009. less ↑

The bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa regina) or short-furred woolly mouse opossum is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Its range includes Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. It is found in tropical rainforest in the westernmost portion of the Amazon Basin and the eastern foothills of the Andes, at elevations up to 1634 m. It was formerly assigned to the genus Micoureus, which was made a subgenus of Marmosa in 2009. less ↑

The little woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa phaeus) is a nocturnal, arboreal and mainly solitary South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is native to the western slopes of the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, where it lives at altitudes from sea level to 1500 m. It primarily inhabits lowland rainforest and montane cloud forest, although it has been reported from dry forest in the southern end of its range. It was formerly assigned to... less ↑

The Panama slender opossum (Marmosops invictus), also known as the slaty slender mouse opossum, is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is endemic to Panama, where it has been found in tropical rainforest habitats, including disturbed areas, at elevations from 500 to 1500 m. This opossum is mostly terrestrial in its habits, and feeds on plants and insects. It is vulnerable to deforestation. less ↑

The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá, is a mammal species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including the Lesser Antilles, where it is called manicou. It prefers the woods, but can also live in fields and cities. The common opossum is sometimes used for food in poorer areas by humans. less ↑

The water opossum (Chironectes minimus), also locally known as the yapok, is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is the only member of its genus, Chironectes. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near the freshwater streams and lakes in Mexico, Central and South America to Argentina, and is the most aquatic living marsupial (the lutrine opossum also has aquatic habits). It is also the only living marsupial in which both sexes have a pouch.... less ↑

The lutrine opossum (Lutreolina crassicaudata), also known as the little water opossum or thick-tailed opossum, is an opossum species from South America and is monotypical of the genus Lutreolina. It is found in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia and Guyana. Populations in the two last countries are isolated from the populations of all the other countries. less ↑

The dusky caenolestid (Caenolestes fuliginosus), also known as the dusky shrew opossum, the silky shrew opossum, or the Ecuadorean shrew-opossum, is a small marsupial that lives in the alpine forests and meadows of the Andes. Its range stretches across Colombia, Ecuador, and northwestern Venezuela. It is the best known of the six surviving species of the order Paucituberculata (shrew opossums). less ↑

Mondolfi's four-eyed opossum (Philander mondolfii) is a South American species of opossum found in Colombia and Venezuela, first described in 2006. It inhabits foothills of the Cordillera de Mérida and those on the eastern side of the Cordillera Oriental at elevations from 50 to 800 m. Populations in the two ranges may represent distinct subspecies. It is named after Venezuelan biologist Edgardo Mondolfi. Its fur is short and woolly. Its dorsal fur is gray, and its... less ↑