Bare-tailed woolly opossum pictures and facts

The Bare-tailed woolly opossum (Caluromys philander), is a mammal aptly named for its hairless, prehensile tail.

Native to Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela, the Bare-tailed woolly opossum is primarily found in arboreal habitats, usually neotropical forests. This nocturnal animal spends its days resting in the canopy of trees, constructing leaf nests in tree hollows, and foraging at night for food.

The Bare-tailed woolly opossum is a New World marsupial, not to be confused with the Australian marsupial, although both are in the same subclass. The woolly opossum weighs in at less than two-thirds of a pound (.29 kg) and averages eight inches (20 cm) in length. Its tail can be twice as long as its body.

When it comes to diet, Bare-tailed woolly opossums will eat any fruit or flower that they can find. These "food opportunists" will select plants based on availability, rather than nutritional value, and will forage through the canopy of trees looking for easy plants to eat. To grasp a hard-to-reach fruit, the woolly opossum sometimes hangs by its long tail. They also eat seeds, insects, and small invertebrates.

Despite a life span of only three years, breeding does not begin until the female is at least one year old. Gestation is short, usually 14 days or less, with young born premature. An average litter size is four to six. Females can have up to three litters per year but this greatly depends on the availability of food. The less food sources, the less litters per year. The young remain in the mother’s pouch for about 80 days before beginning a nursing phase for an additional month. Although the Bare-tailed woolly opossum is a solitary creature, rarely interacting with its own species, the mother foregoes her usual nocturnal activities to nurse her young. Young are then ready leave the nest at about 130 days of age.

Due to a relatively stable population, the Bare-tailed woolly opossum is not considered endangered. However, its population is decreasing.