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Home -> Kingdom Animalia -> Phylum Chordata -> Subphylum Vertebrata -> Class Mammalia -> Order Microbiotheria -> Family Microbiotheriidae -> Species Dromiciops gliroides

Dromiciops gliroides
monito del monte



2008/10/05 03:56:38.657 GMT-4

By Sharon Jansa

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Microbiotheria
Family: Microbiotheriidae
Genus: Dromiciops
Species: Dromiciops gliroides

Geographic Range

Chile west from the coast to the Andes, from 36 degrees South to 43 degrees South latitude. Includes the island of Chiloe.

Biogeographic Regions:
neotropical (native ).

Habitat

Monitos del monte live in the cool, humid forests of the Chilean Andes where they inhabit thickets of Chilean Bamboo (Chusquea sp.).

Terrestrial Biomes:
forest ; mountains .

Physical Description

Mass
24.05 g (average)
(0.85 oz)
[External Source: AnAge]


Small grey-brown marsupials with short, dense, silky fur. The basal one-third of the tail is furred like the body, the terminal 2/3 is well-furred with dark brown hairs. The face is light grey with black eye rings. Light grey patches on the shoulders and hips give the animal a dappled appearance. The female's pouch is lined with cinnamon-brown fur. Measurements: Head-Body: 83-130mm; Tail: 90-132mm; Hind Foot: 15-20mm; Ear: 17-20mm.

Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .

Reproduction

Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
730 days (average)
[External Source: AnAge]


Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
730 days (average)
[External Source: AnAge]


D. gliroides breeds in the spring and has one litter of 1-4 young per year. Females have a well-developed pseudovagina and a small, fur-lined pouch enclosing four mammae. After leaving the pouch, the young are nursed in the nest and carried on the mother's back during nocturnal foraging trips. Once the young are weaned, they remain in loose association with the mother. Males and females reach sexual maturity in their second year.

Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual .

Behavior

These nocturnal, arboreal mammals construct spherical nests of water-repellant bamboo leaves lined with moss or grass. Nests are placed in well-protected areas and are often concealed with grey moss. These nests probably serve to protect the animals from the cold, but when temperatures drop during the winter and food becomes scarce, monitos del monte will hibernate. Before hibernation, the base of the tail becomes swollen with fat deposits. They live in pairs during the breeding season; the rest of the year they form loose associations of a mother and her young.

Key behaviors:
motile .

Food Habits

Feeds primarily on larvae and pupae of insects.

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Local superstitions about this harmless mammal maintain that it is bad luck to have one in the house. As a result, some people will unnecessarily burn their houses to the ground after seeing a monito del monte in their home.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Probably acts to control local insect populations.

Other Comments

Once considered a member of the South American opossum family (Didelphidae), Dromicips gliroides is now thought to be the only living member of the Microbiotheriidae, and may in fact be more closely related to Australian marsupials than South American opossums (see family account for Microbiotheriidae).

Contributors

Sharon Jansa external link (author), University of Minnesota.

References

Macdonald, D. (Ed.) (1987) The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Facts on File. New York.

Marshall, L.G. (1978) Dromiciops australis. Mammalian Species (99:1-5). American Society of Mammalogists.

Ojeda, R., C. Borghi, V. Roig. 2002. "Mamiferos de Argentina" (On-line). Accessed March 12, 2003 at http://www.cricyt.edu.ar/INSTITUTOS/iadiza/ojeda/mamarg.htm.

2008/10/05 03:56:39.887 GMT-4

To cite this page: Jansa, S. 2003. "Dromiciops gliroides" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 08, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dromiciops_gliroides.html.

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

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