Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Gray and black four eyed opossum

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Infraclass
  
Marsupialia

Family
  
Didelphidae

Scientific name
  
Philander

Rank
  
Genus

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Didelphimorphia

Subfamily
  
Didelphinae

Higher classification
  
Didelphinae

Gray and black four-eyed opossum httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Lower classifications
  
Gray four‑eyed opossum, Deltaic four‑eyed opossum

The seven 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. The common name comes from the white spots above the eyes, which can appear from a distance to be another set of eyes.

References

Gray and black four-eyed opossum Wikipedia