Skip to content
Didelphis

File:Didelphis_albiventris_(Lund,_1840)_(3452477057).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ287881· pop 44· linked from 200 articles

Also known as opossum, opossums

Didelphis is a genus of New World marsupials. The six species in the genus Didelphis, commonly known as Large American opossums, are members of the opossum order, Didelphimorphia.

Species

Virginia Opossum

GENUS

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassMammalia
  4. OrderDidelphimorphia
  5. FamilyDidelphidae
Observations72,259
Observations recorded116,386

via GBIF

Research

1,522 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image
AwesomePossum-AmericanOpossum.jpg
Show 2 more facts
taxon name
Didelphis
Commons category
Didelphis
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Article

4 sections
Contents
  • Human interaction
  • Phylogeny
  • Species
  • References

Didelphis is a genus of New World marsupials. The six species in the genus Didelphis, commonly known as Large American opossums, are members of the opossum order, Didelphimorphia.

The genus Didelphis is composed of cat-sized omnivorous species, which can be recognized by their prehensile tails and their tendency to feign death when cornered. The largest species, the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), is the only marsupial to be found north of Mexico.

Gallery (24)

Connections

Categories