The brown four-eyed opossum (''Metachirus nudicaudatus'') is a pouchless marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It is found in different forested habitats of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and South America, from Nicaragua to Brazil and northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, including southeastern Colombia, Paraguay and eastern Peru and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, at elevations from sea level to 1500 m. It is the only recognized species in the genus ''Metachirus'', but molecular phylogenetics studies suggest that it should probably be split into several species. Population densities are usually low, and it is uncommon in parts of Central America. A density of 25.6/km² was reported near Manaus, Brazil. Its

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...

has 2n = 14 and FN = 24. It is a nocturnal, solitary, strongly terrestrial and

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

animal, feeding on fruits, small vertebrates and invertebrates. The brown four-eyed opossum builds nests made of leaves and twigs in tree branches or under rocks and logs. It is seasonally polyestrous and the litter size varies from one to nine. The white spot over each eye inspired the common name of "four-eyed opossum". Its scaly tail is longer than its body. The opossum appears to be mostly

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores we ...

, though also consumes some types of fruit seeds, small vertebrate creatures like birds and reptiles and

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

and snails. The brown four-eyed opossum is a host of the

Acanthocephala Acanthocephala (Greek , ', thorn + , ', head) is a phylum of parasitic worms known as acanthocephalans, thorny-headed worms, or spiny-headed worms, characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, armed with spines, which it uses to p ...

n intestinal parasite '' Gigantorhynchus ortizi''.

References

Opossums Marsupials of Central America Marsupials of South America Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Bolivia Mammals of Argentina Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of French Guiana Mammals of Guyana Mammals of Mexico Mammals of Paraguay Mammals of Peru Mammals of Suriname Mammals of Venezuela Fauna of the Amazon Mammals described in 1803 {{marsupial-stub