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Genus of marsupials From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The nine species in the genus Philander, commonly known as gray and black four-eyed opossums, are members of the order Didelphimorphia. Mature females have a well-developed marsupium. The tail appears to be hairless except for the proximal (closest to the body) 5 or 6 cm, which has a few long hairs. The tail is slightly longer than the head-and-body length, and it is black for the proximal one half to two thirds of its length. The genus is closely related to Didelphis but the species of Philander are smaller than those of Didelphis. The genus formerly included Metachirus nudicaudatus, but this species lacks a pouch and so is now considered a separate genus.[4] The common name comes from the white spots above the eyes, which can appear from a distance to be another set of eyes.
Gray and black four-eyed opossums[1][2][3] | |
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Philander opossum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Didelphimorphia |
Family: | Didelphidae |
Subfamily: | Didelphinae |
Tribe: | Didelphini |
Genus: | Philander Brisson, 1762 |
Type species | |
Didelphis opossum Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Species | |
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The following three species are recognized by the IUCN and Mammal Species of the World but not by the American Society of Mammalogists. P. frenatus is considered a synonym of Philander opossum, and the latter two are junior synonyms of Philander canus.[5]
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