Gray short-tailed opossum
Species of marsupial / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is a small South American member of the family Didelphidae. Unlike most other marsupials, the gray short-tailed opossum does not have a true pouch. The scientific name Monodelphis is derived from Greek and means "single womb" (referring to the lack of a pouch) and the Latin word domestica which means "domestic" (chosen because of the species' habit of entering human dwellings).[3] It was the first marsupial to have its genome sequenced. The gray short-tailed opossum is used as a research model in science,[4] and is also frequently found in the exotic pet trade. It is also known as the Brazilian opossum, rainforest opossum and in a research setting the laboratory opossum.
Gray short-tailed opossum[1] | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Didelphimorphia |
Family: | Didelphidae |
Genus: | Monodelphis |
Species: | M. domestica |
Binomial name | |
Monodelphis domestica (Wagner, 1842) | |
Gray short-tailed opossum range | |
Synonyms | |
Monodelphis domesticus |