Okay, I am obviously just playing with you but the real answer is requires a delicate response so I was trying to find a way to nicely tell you that the males place their genitalia inside their pouch while swimming. They feed on fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic animals which they catch in the water. Hartman starts with data on the characteristics of the opossum pouch, which is found on the belly side of the mother's body. So in addition to our Virginia opossum, there are mouse opossums, slender opossums, water opossums, pygmy opossums, and woolly opossums, … 4 Facts About The Water Opossum The Water Opossum is hostile during feeding, even been seen sitting on its forelegs, aggressively tearing into food. Congratulations for making it to another Friday! Koalas, Tasmanian devils and wombats have pouches that open toward the rear. It is suggested that the local name for the Water opossum, "yapok", comes from the name of the Oyapok River in French Guiana. During the day our little marsupial friend prefers to stay hidden in burrows but once the night falls they head out to the lakes and rivers for a little hunting. I am a digital nomad who enjoys travelling around the globe while inspiring others to leave their comfort zone and improve their life. Chironectes minimus is an American didelphid marsupial commonly known as yapok, water opossum, perrito de agua, and cuica d'água. But the pouch of the Virginia opossum of North America and the wombat of Australia opens toward the tail. After a gestation period of 12 – 14 days around 2 – 5 young are born and spend the first few weeks in their mothers pouch suckling milk from her teats until they are fully developed. When threatened, Water opossums usually jump into the water and often this way escape predation. Its fur has black spot and stripes on gray or light brown. As nocturnal animals, opossums favor dark, secure areas which may be below ground or above. Babies immediately crawl into the mother's pouch, where they continue to develop. They live in and near freshwater streams, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water in tropical moist forests. It is called the water opossum and is also the only living marsupial in which both sexes have a pouch. For the record, I am not joking about any of this! The only living marsupial in which both sexes have a pouch is the water opossum. It is also the only living marsupial in which both sexes have a pouch. Don't give your pet CBD Oil until you read this! Water Opossum Conservation Status. In the meantime, let’s figure out where our imagination will be taking us today. The Opossum's Pouch Sanctuary, Rescue and Rehabilitation, Prosperity, South Carolina. The Water opossum is a semiaquatic marsupial found in the Americas. Most walk on the ground or are good climbers, and one, the water opossum or yapok of South America, can swim! In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. They have short, dense fur which is water-repellent much like that of an otter. We will get into the rest of their cool characteristics shortly. Make sure you pack an extra pair of socks since there is a pretty good chance you will get wet looking for this little Opossum. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Opossums grow up to 40 inches in length, about the size of a house cat. Let’s see, they are the only animal species in the world that have a pouch. The Opossum Perch takes up virtually no room in a pack and will even store in a large pants pocket. Ready for coins, cards, phones, makeup, art stuff, or more. So if you are a fish, crustacean or amphibian living in the home range of the Yapok, you had better be alert once the sun goes down because the Water Opossum is perfectly suited to hunt you down. It is bifurcated, like a 2 pronged fork. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. So what else makes the Yapok so interesting? Both sexes of the now-extinct Tasmanian Tiger had a pouch. Kangaroos and opossums have a pouch on their stomach that opens toward the front of the animal. Water Opossums are classed as … I am sure you gathered from their name that this marsupial lives near the water and swims. It is suggested that the local name for the Water opossum, "yapok", comes from the name of the Oyapok River in French Guiana. There are sensory facial bristles in tufts above each eye, as well as whiskers. The short, dense fur of Water opossums is water-repellent and thus doesn't get wet while the animals spend a long time in the water. And it also ensures that no sensitive body parts get caught in the seaweed that the Yapok is always swimming through. The local name for the water opossum, "yapok", probably comes from the name of the Oyapok River in French Guyana. After the gestation period of 12-14 days, the female gives birth to a litter of 1-5 young in the nest. A strong ring of muscle makes the pouch (which opens to the rear) watertight, so the young remain dry, even when the mother is totally immersed in water. It was believed that the shape of the penis was a perfect fit for the female opossum’s nose. It has long webbed toes on its hindfeet, water-repellent fur, and a pouch that closes during dives. The newly born offspring climb to the mother's pouch, where they begin nursing. Most female marsupials have a pouch for carrying babies, while male marsupials do not have pouches. The water opossum (Chironectes minimus), also locally known as the yapok, is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae.It is the only member of its genus, Chironectes.This semiaquatic creature is found in and near the freshwater streams and lakes in Mexico, Central and South America to Argentina, and is the most aquatic living marsupial (the lutrine opossum also has aquatic habits). They usually breed in December. The water opossum has distinctive adaptations for its watery lifestyle. An­other aquatic adap­ta­tion of water opos­sums is the pres­ence of a wa­ter-proof pouch or sphinc­ter, known as the pars pu­denda. During diving, its pouch will close naturally. Believe it or not, this opossum is very well adapted to the water. Omnivores Galore. Unfortunately, the Tasmanian Tiger went extinct as of 1936. According to IUCN, the Water opossum is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. 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