Dromiciops gliroides
monito del monte

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

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

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.

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.

Feeds primarily on larvae and pupae of insects.

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.

Probably acts to control local insect populations.

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).