Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
The woolly opossum has no special conservation status. (Bucher-Hoffman, 1980.)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Once hunted for its fur, and possible important as a disperser of tropical trees. Bucher and Hoffman (1980)
Although food habits have not been investigated thoroughly, this opossum also appears to be omnivorous. Captive animals have eaten fruit, insects, and mice. They have been maintained on a laboratory diet of raw egg, fruit, and dog food. Bucher and Hoffman (1980)
Caluromys derbianus can be found in both highland and lowland rain forests in the region between south-central Veracruz, western Columbia, and northern Ecuador. Bucher and Hoffmann (1980)
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
The woolly opossum inhabits both lowland and highland rainforests to a maximum altitude of 2,460 meters. Bucher and Hoffman (1980)
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 8.7 years.
Caluromys derbianus is the largest species in the genus. It is a long, slender animal weighing from 200 to 400 grams. The common name of this opossum is derived from its woolly pelage. A dark strip is often present running from the crown to the fleshy portion of the nose. Pelage color shows much geographic variation. Its ears are creamy white to pink. All digits of the front and hind feet are clawed with the exception of the opposable hallux. The tail constitutes up to two-thirds of its total length. The latter half of the tail is naked and prehensile. Barrington and Willis (1973) ; Bucher and Hoffmann (1980)
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 330 g.
Average basal metabolic rate: 1.194 W.
Litter size for C. derbianus is usually three or four, although it may be as high as six. The woolly opossums breed during the dry season (January to June) in Central America, however a few studies indicated that breeding may extend into the first few months of the rainy season (July to September). In Nicaragua it has been suggested that they breed throughout the year. The estrous cycle has an average length of 27 to 29 days and is maintained year round. The young attach to a teat after birth (in a pouch), where they are nurtured until they reach a level of development similar to young placentals at birth. Caluromys derbianus reaches sexual maturity at seven to nine months and has been reported to live in excess of five years in captivity. Bucher and Hoffman (1980) ; Dawson (1983)
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average number of offspring: 3.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 240 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 240 days.
Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum,[2] is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia. It was first described by English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse, and named in honor of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Derby's woolly opossum is the largest in its genus, with a total length of 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in) and weight between 200 and 400 grams (7.1 and 14.1 oz). The coat is brown and the underside white-buff to golden-brown. The opossum is nocturnal (active mainly at night), arboreal (tree-living) and solitary. Diet consists of fruits, nectar, small invertebrates and vertebrates. The time when breeding takes place varies geographically. The litter size ranges from one to six. The IUCN classifies this opossum as least concern.
Derby's woolly opossum is one of the three members of Caluromys, and is placed in the family Didelphidae.[3] It was first described by English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse as Didelphis derbianus in 1841. He was named in honor of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby, to whose museum the specimen used for the description belonged.[4] It was given its present binomial name, Caluromys derbianus, by American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen in 1900.[5] A 1955 revision of marsupial phylogeny grouped Caluromys, Caluromysiops, Dromiciops (monito del monte) and Glironia (bushy-tailed opossum) under a single subfamily, Microbiotheriinae, noting the dental similarities among these. A 1977 study argued that these similarities are the result of convergent evolution, and placed Caluromys, Caluromysiops and Glironia in a new subfamily, Caluromyinae.[6] In another similar revision, the bushy-tailed opossum was placed in its own subfamily, Glironiinae.[7]
The following seven subspecies are recognized:[5][8]
The cladogram below, based on a 2016 study, shows the phylogenetic relationships of Derby's woolly opossum.[9]
Bushy-tailed opossum (Glironia venusta)
CaluromyinaeBlack-shouldered opossum (Caluromyopsis irrupta)
Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus)
Bare-tailed woolly opossum (Caluromys philander)
Brown-eared woolly opossum (Caluromys lanatus)
Kalinowski's mouse opossum (Hyladelphys kalinowskii)
Derby's woolly opossum is the largest in its genus, with a total length of 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in) and weight between 200 and 400 grams (7.1 and 14.1 oz). It is characterized by white to pink ears, lightly colored limbs, a brown coat (lighter than that of the brown-eared woolly opossum), white-buff to golden-brown underside, and the prehensile tail (tail that can be used to grab objects) that accounts for 58 to 67 percent of the total length. A dark streak runs from along the midline of the nose up to the crown. Coat color varies geographically. The tail is partially naked, as in the bare-tailed woolly opossum. Like others in Caluromys, it has a pouch. The ears measure about 4 centimetres (1.6 in) and the hindfeet 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in). Claws are present in all the five digits of the forefeet and two of either hindfoot. The dental formula is 5.1.3.44.1.3.4.[8][10] The eyes glow red on exposure to light.[2]
Derby's woolly opossum is nocturnal (active mainly at night), solitary, and spends most of the day in nests made of dead leaves in cavities in the upper reaches of trees. Studies show that activity levels may increase if food is scarce, and decrease on exposure to light. The animal is an efficient climber, and the tail assists in grasping branches. It shows remarkable agility in moving among vines and branches. When disturbed, it might attack defensively by biting; it can produce squeals when distressed.[2][8][10] Predators include ocelots.[11]
Diet comprises fruits of pepper vines and Cecropia species, nectar of the balsa tree, Mabea occidentalis and Trichanthera gigantea, small invertebrates and vertebrates. After feeding, the opossum will lick the forepaws and use them to clean its face; they can also be used to clean the flanks, underbelly and the portion of the tail nearer to the tip.[8][10]
Both sexes become sexually mature by seven to nine months. The estrus cycle is nearly 28 days long. The time when breeding takes place varies geographically – it takes place during the dry season in Panama (late January or early February) and probably throughout the year in Nicaragua. Males have been observed pursuing the female before copulation occurs. The litter size ranges from one to six.[8][10][12] The lifespan is not known for sure; one individual in New York Zoological Park lived for five years and three months.[5]
Derby's woolly opossum inhabits deciduous and moist evergreen forests up to an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft). The range extends from Veracruz in southern Mexico southward into South America to western Ecuador and Cauca River valley in Colombia.[1][10] The IUCN classifies it as least concern, given its presumably large numbers. Earlier, it used to be targeted for its fur. Populations in Ecuador and Mexico, however, are threatened by deforestation.[1]
Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum, is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia. It was first described by English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse, and named in honor of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Derby's woolly opossum is the largest in its genus, with a total length of 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in) and weight between 200 and 400 grams (7.1 and 14.1 oz). The coat is brown and the underside white-buff to golden-brown. The opossum is nocturnal (active mainly at night), arboreal (tree-living) and solitary. Diet consists of fruits, nectar, small invertebrates and vertebrates. The time when breeding takes place varies geographically. The litter size ranges from one to six. The IUCN classifies this opossum as least concern.
