Mammal
Mammal
Woolly Opossum
Caluromys philander
The Woolly Opossum is a soft-furred, large-eyed marsupial of Trinidad's forest canopy, more delicate and agile than the familiar Common Opossum, and almost entirely arboreal in its habits.
The Woolly Opossum is a soft-furred, large-eyed marsupial of Trinidad's forest canopy, more delicate and agile than the familiar Common Opossum, and almost entirely arboreal in its habits.
Identification
A small to medium marsupial around 20 to 30 cm in body length with a long, mostly naked prehensile tail longer than the body. Fur is soft, dense, and woolly, typically greyish-brown above and pale below, with large, dark-ringed eyes adapted for night vision and a slender, pointed snout.
Behaviour
Almost entirely arboreal, using its prehensile tail for balance and support while moving through the canopy at night in search of fruit, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates. It is more agile and delicate in its movements than the ground-dwelling Common Opossum, rarely descending to the forest floor, and constructs a simple nest of leaves in a tree hollow or dense vine tangle.
Status in T&T
Found in forest across Trinidad. Not considered threatened. It is protected as native wildlife under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
