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Brown four-eyed opossum
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Didelphimorphia
Family:	Didelphidae
Subfamily:	Didelphinae
Tribe:	Metachirini Reig et al., 1987
Genus:	Metachirus Burmeister, 1854
Species:	M. nudicaudatus
Binomial name
Metachirus nudicaudatus (É. Geoffroy, 1803)
Brown four-eyed opossum range

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 to Brazil and northern Argentina, including southeastern Colombia, Paraguay and eastern Peru and Bolivia, at elevations from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). 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 parts of Central America. A density of 25.6/km (66/sq mi) was reported near Manaus, Brazil. Its karyotype has 2n = 14 and FN = 24.

It is a nocturnal, solitary, strongly terrestrial and omnivorous animal, feeding on fruits, small vertebrates and invertebrates.

The brown four-eyed opossum builds nests made of leaves and twigs in tree branches or under rocks and logs. It is seasonally polyestrous and the litter size varies from one to nine.

The white spot over each eye inspired the common name of "four-eyed opossum". Its scaly tail is longer than its body.

The opossum is mostly insectivorous, though it also consumes some types of fruit seeds, small vertebrates like birds and reptiles and invertebrates like crayfish and snails. The brown four-eyed opossum is a host of the acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Gigantorhynchus ortizi.

References

1. ^ Gardner, A.L. (2005). "Order Didelphimorphia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. ^ Brito, D.; Astúa, D.; Lew, D.; de la Sancha, N. (2021). "Metachirus nudicaudatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T40509A197311536. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T40509A197311536.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
3. ^ Eisenberg, John F.; Redford, Kent H. (May 15, 2000). Mammals of the Neotropics, Volume 3: The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil. University of Chicago Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-0-226-19542-1. OCLC 493329394.
4. Bies, L. (2002). "Metachirus nudicaudatus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
5. Cáceres, N.C. (2004). "Diet of three didelphid marsupials (Mammalia, Didelphimorphia) in southern Brazil". Mammalian Biology. 69 (6): 430–433. Bibcode:2004MamBi..69..430C. doi:10.1078/1616-5047-00165.
6. Gardner, Alfred L.; Dagosto, Marian (2007). "Tribe Metachirini Reig, Kirsch, and Marshall, 1985". In Gardner, Alfred L. (ed.). Mammals of South America. Vol. 1. University of Chicago Press. pp. 35–39. ISBN 978-0-226-28240-4.
7. Nascimento Gomes, Ana Paula; Cesário, Clarice Silva; Olifiers, Natalie; de Cassia Bianchi, Rita; Maldonado, Arnaldo; Vilela, Roberto do Val (December 2019). "New morphological and genetic data of Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus (Diesing, 1851) (Acanthocephala: Archiacanthocephala) in the giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758 (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae)". International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. 10: 281–288. Bibcode:2019IJPPW..10..281N. doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.09.008. PMC 6906829. PMID 31867208.

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• IUCN Red List least concern species
• Opossums
• Marsupials of Central America
• Marsupials of Argentina
• Marsupials of Bolivia
• Marsupials of Brazil
• Marsupials of Colombia
• Vertebrates of Costa Rica
• Marsupials of Ecuador
• Mammals of French Guiana
• Mammals of Guyana
• Mammals of Mexico
• Vertebrates of Nicaragua
• Vertebrates of Panama
• Mammals of Paraguay
• Marsupials of Peru
• Mammals of Suriname
• Marsupials of Venezuela
• Fauna of the Amazon
• Mammals described in 1803
• Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
• Marsupial stubs