Genus Metachirus
The "Brown Four Eyed" Opossum
Metachirus Pictures
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I'm making an educated guess that the photo from "World of Difference" is Metachirus, it was only labeled "possum".
Metachirus nudicaudatus
(Desmarest, 1817)
This species is sometimes categorized under Philander, and then Metachirops is used for the Gray Four-Eyed Opossum.
Names
- English: Brown Four-Eyed Opossum
- English: Rat-Tailed Opossum
- Costa Rica: Zorricí
- Czech: vačice hnědavá
- German: Nacktschwanzbeutelratte
- Panama: Zorra Morena
- Portuguese: Cuíca cauda-de-rato
- Portuguese: Cuíca-de-Quatro-Olhos
- Portuguese: Cuíca Verdadeira
- Portuguese: Jupati
- Russian: БУРОЛИЦЫЙ ОПОССУМ
- Spanish: Cuíca cola de rata
- Spanish: Cuíca de cola rata
- Spanish: Zorricí
- Spanish: Zorra Morena
- Spanish: Raposa Lanuda
- Spanish: Yupatí Intertropical
These opossums are found in Argentina (Northeast), Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Mexico (Chiapas), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. They live in the lowlands to 1200m. The longest recorded lifespan in captivity is 4 years (Carey & Judge, 2001).
As described in A Field Guide To The Mammals of Central America:
"Medium sized, long legged. Upperparts dull brown grading to tan on sides and below ears; underparts pale yellow (rufous around nipples of female, which lacks a pouch). Fur coarse and rather short. Ears brown. Face dark brown, with a narrow, dark stripe extending from forehead to nape of neck; cheeks and spots above eyes cream-colored, rest of face dark brown. Tail sparsely haired (naked-looking) for its entire length, bicolor, brown above, white below, fading gradually to all white at tip. Feet whitish."
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