Genus Marmosa

Marmosa Mouse Opossums

Marmosa andersoni
Marmosa canescens
Marmosa lepida
Marmosa mexicana
Marmosa murina
Marmosa robinsoni
Marmosa rubra
Marmosa tyleriana
Marmosa xerophila

Marmosa Pictures

The scientific names are from the photo's original source (though I corrected some of the spelling or family names). Hopefully they are mostly correct - some people tend to guess "Marmosa" for many small opossums, so these may not be quite right.

About Marmosa

The smallest of the 9 Marmosa opossum species have a head and body length of 3.35" inches, while the larger species can measure up to 7.28" inches long. Tail lengths range from 3.54" inches to 11" inches long. They generally have brown or black markings around the eyes, are pouchless, have short, velvety fur and a prehensile tail. Most prefer to live in moist forests or streams, are arboreal, nocturnal, and solitary. They build nests of leaves, twigs and abandoned bird nests. Diet consists of insects and fruit, with the occasional rodent, lizard and bird egg. Females have 9-19 nipples, with mammary glands on the chest and abdomen regions. Litter size is generally 7-9, but varies by each of the species. Babies are usually weaned around 60-70 days.

Marmosa andersoni

(Pine, 1972)

Names

English: Anderson's Mouse Opossum
Czech: Vačice Andersonova
Spanish: Marmosa de Anderson
Spanish: Comadrejita Marsupial de Anderson

These opossums are found in Peru. They are critically endangered.

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Marmosa canescens

(J A Allen, 1893)

Names

English: Grayish Mouse Opossum
Czech: vačice šedivá
Spanish: Marmosa Grisácea
Spanish: Ratón Tlacuache

These opossums are found in Mexico.

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Marmosa lepida

(Thomas, 1888)

Names

English: Little Rufous Mouse Opossum
Czech: vačice malá
Spanish: Raposa Radiante
Portuguese: Catita
Portuguese: Guaiquica

These opossums are found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. They are considered near threatened in the wild.

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Marmosa mexicana

(Merriam, 1897)

Names

Often seen listed as "Marmosa mexicanus".

English: Mexican Mouse Opossum
Czech: vačice mexická
Spanish: Marmosa Tlacuache
Spanish: Ratón Tlacuache

Mark Tway has a nice photo of this opossum on his website.

These opossums are found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador.

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Marmosa murina

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Research by Cynthia Steiner and François M. Catzeflisa indicates there might be two sub-species of Marmosa murina in French Guyana, one a lighter color and the other darker.

Names

English: Murine Mouse Opossum
English: Common Mouse Opossum
Czech: vačice potkanová
Czech: vačice trpasličí
German: Mauszwergbeutelratte
Russian: КАРЛИКОВЫЙ МЫШЕВИДНЫЙ ОПОССУМ
Spanish: Marmosa Ratona
Spanish: Raposa Ratona
Portuguese: Catita
Portuguese: Guaiquica

Etymology: "Murine" is Latin for mouse.

These opossums are found in Northern South America, including; Bolivia (East), Brazil, Colombia (including Cano Cristales National Park), Ecuador (East), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru (East), Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. They are uncommon, but not rare. They are terrestrial to semi-arboreal, meaning they are usually found on the ground but do climb low vegetation, bushes, vines and trees. They live in moist environments, near tropical rain forests to medium-vegetation forests and like many other opossums are often found near the edge streams. They are nocturnal and sleep near the ground. Nests are varied, and can be made from abandoned bird's nests, tree hollows, holes dug into vegetation, or made from leaves or twigs. They are opportunistic omnivores, rather than carnivores or insectivores. They hunt near the ground primarily for insects, larvae and fruits. They also eat small mammals (especially rodents), worms, lizards and bird eggs. Their body size is about 52 grams. (Olifers, 2004).

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Marmosa robinsoni

(Bangs, 1901)

Names

English: Pale-bellied Mouse Opossum
English: Robinson's Mouse Opossum
Czech: vačice Robinsonova
German: Blassbauch-Zwergbeutelratte
Spanish: Zorro Murina
Spanish: Marmosa de Robinson
Spanish: Raposa de Robinson
Spanish: Lirón

These opossums are found in Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Their body size is about 85 grams. (Olifers, 2004).