page_title: Opossum
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Opossum / Classification
caption_attribution_description: English: Species of small and arboreal marsupial (Marmosa paraguayana), found in the southeast and parts of southern Brazil. Português: Espécie de marsupial pequena e arborícola (Marmosa paraguayana), encontrada no sudeste e partes do sul do Brasil.
context_page_description: The opossum is a marsupial of the order Didelphimorphia endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 103 or more species in 19 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of the two continents. Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet, and reproductive habits make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.
  In the United States and Canada, the only species found is the Virginia opossum. It is usually simply referred to as an "opossum" but some regional dialects shorten this further to "possum", which should not be confused with the Australasian arboreal marsupials of suborder Phalangeriformes that are also called "possums" because of their resemblance to the Didelphimorphia.
context_section_description: Classification based on Voss and Jansa (2009)
  Family Didelphidae
  Genus Sairadelphys
  Sairadelphys tocantinensis
  Subfamily Glironiinae
  Genus Glironia
  Bushy-tailed opossum (Glironia venusta)
  Subfamily Caluromyinae
  Genus Caluromys 
  Subgenus Caluromys
  Bare-tailed woolly opossum (Caluromys philander)
  Subgenus Mallodelphys
  Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus)
  Brown-eared woolly opossum (Caluromys lanatus)
  Genus Caluromysiops
  Black-shouldered opossum (Caluromysiops irrupta)
  Subfamily Hyladelphinae
  Genus Hyladelphys
  Kalinowski's mouse opossum (Hyladelphys kalinowskii)
  Subfamily Didelphinae
  Tribe Metachirini 
  Genus Metachirus
  Brown four-eyed opossum (Metachirus nudicaudatus)
  Tribe Didelphini 
  Genus Chironectes
  Water opossum or yapok (Chironectes minimus)
  Unnamed subgroup
  Genus Lutreolina
  †Lutreolina biforata
  Lutrine or thick-tailed opossum (Lutreolina crassicaudata)
  †Lutreolina materdei
  Lutreolina massoia
  †Genus Hyperdidelphys
  †Hyperdidelphys dimartinoi
  †Hyperdidelphys inexpectata
  †Hyperdidelphys parvula
  †Hyperdidelphys pattersoni
  Unnamed subgroup
  Genus Didelphis 
  White-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris)
  Big-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita)
  Guianan white-eared opossum (Didelphis imperfecta)
  Common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis)
  Andean white-eared opossum (Didelphis pernigra)
  †Didelphis solimoensis
  Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
  Genus Philander 
  Anderson's four-eyed opossum (Philander andersoni)
  Deltaic four-eyed opossum (Philander deltae)
  Southeastern four-eyed opossum (Philander frenatus)
  McIlhenny's four-eyed opossum (Philander mcilhennyi)
  Mondolfi's four-eyed opossum (Philander mondolfii)
  Olrog's four-eyed opossum (Philander olrogi)
  Gray four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum)
  †Genus Thylophorops
  †Thylophorops chapadmalensis
  †Thylophorops lorenzinii
  †Thylophorops perplana
  Tribe Marmosini
  Genus †Hesperocynus
  †Hesperocynus dolgopolae
  Genus Marmosa
  Subgenus Marmosa 
  Heavy-browed mouse opossum (Marmosa andersoni)
  Isthmian mouse opossum (Marmosa isthmica)
  Rufous mouse opossum (Marmosa lepida)
  Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa mexicana)
  Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina)
  Quechuan mouse opossum (Marmosa quichua)
  Robinson's mouse opossum (Marmosa robinsoni)
  Red mouse opossum (Marmosa rubra)
  Simon's mouse opossum (Marmosa simonsi)
  Tyler's mouse opossum (Marmosa tyleriana)
  Marmosa waterhousei
  Guajira mouse opossum (Marmosa xerophila)
  Zeledon's mouse opossum (Marmosa zeledoni)
  Subgenus Micoureus 
  Alston's mouse opossum (Marmosa alstoni)
  White-bellied woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa constantiae)
  Woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa demerarae)
  †Marmosa laventica
  Tate's woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa paraguayanus)
  Little woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa phaeus)
  Bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum (Marmosa regina)
  Genus Monodelphis 
  Sepia short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis adusta)
  Northern three-striped opossum (Monodelphis americana)
  Monodelphis arlindoi
  Northern red-sided opossum (Monodelphis brevicaudata)
  Yellow-sided opossum (Monodelphis dimidiata)
  Gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica)
  Emilia's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis emiliae)
  Amazonian red-sided opossum (Monodelphis glirina)
  Handley's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis handleyi)
  Ihering's three-striped opossum (Monodelphis iheringi)
  Pygmy short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis kunsi)
  Marajó short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis maraxina)
  Osgood's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis osgoodi)
  Hooded red-sided opossum (Monodelphis palliolata)
  Monodelphis pinocchio
  Reig's opossum (Monodelphis reigi)
  Ronald's opossum (Monodelphis ronaldi)
  Chestnut-striped opossum (Monodelphis rubida)
  Monodelphis saci
  Monodelphis sanctaerosae
  Long-nosed short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis scalops)
  Southern red-sided opossum (Monodelphis sorex)
  Southern three-striped opossum (Monodelphis theresa)
  Monodelphis touan
  Red three-striped opossum (Monodelphis umbristriata)
  One-striped opossum (Monodelphis unistriata)
  Genus †Sparassocynus
  †Sparassocynus bahiai
  †Sparassocynus derivatus
  †Sparassocynus maimarai
  †Sparassocynus heterotopicus
  Genus †Thylatheridium
  †Thylatheridium cristatum
  †Thylatheridium hudso
caption: Tate's woolly mouse opossum, Marmosa paraguayanus
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "2144", "Image ImageLength": "1424", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D300S", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 15.0 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2017:05:18 22:31:07", "Image Artist": "Renato Martins", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "Renato Martins", "Image ExifOffset": "372", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 2, 0, 0]", "Image GPSInfo": "976", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1090", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4759", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/125", "EXIF FNumber": "29", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "250", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:06:11 18:36:56:07:00", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "870723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4857981/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "1", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "16/5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Flash", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "105", "EXIF SubSecTime": "33", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "33", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "33", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2144", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1080", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "157", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}