AnAge entry for Didelphis marsupialis

Classification (HAGRID: 02128)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Didelphimorphia
                Family: Didelphidae
                    Genus: Didelphis
Species: Didelphis marsupialis
Common name: Southern opossum

Maximum longevity: 4.2 years (captivity)
Source: ref. 671
Sample size: Small
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: Although there are anecdotal reports suggesting a longer lifespan in captivity, the longest-lived specimen was a 4.2 year old at Rotterdam Zoo [0671].

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

[0671] Richard Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity; from the Living Collections of the World
[0036] Savage et al. (2004), The predominance of quarter-power scaling in biology
[0420] White and Seymour (2003), Mammalian basal metabolic rate is proportional to body mass2/3 (PubMed)
[0522] Fisher et al. (2001), The ecological basis of life history variation in marsupials
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data