Observations on the captive behavior of the rare Patagonian opossum Lestodelphys halli (Thomas, 1921) (Marsupialia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae)
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Gabriel M. Martin
and
Daniel E. Udrizar Sauthier
Abstract
We describe the behavior in captivity of the rare Patagonian opossum (Lestodelphys halli) from five individuals captured at three localities, which were kept alive in glass terraria for different periods of time (between 2.5–3.5 months). During our observations we found that L. halli can climb and jump well, has a prehensile tail-tip which can hold the body suspended for several seconds, powerful grasping hind feet and the ability to dig. Feeding preferences of meat (mainly raw) and live animals (i.e., mice, lizards and beetles) over vegetables or fruit was observed. We document the first records of torpor/hibernation for the species, its locomotion and exploration patterns and feeding postures. Resting/sleeping in L. halli is done with the body curled along a vertical axis and its head placed against the chest and between the hind legs, a posture different from previously reported American marsupials. Stereotyped behavior patterns (e.g., grooming) were observed and compared with other studied species, providing comparative information for further studies on New World marsupials.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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- Assessing mammal distribution and abundance in intricate eastern Himalayan habitats of Khangchendzonga, Sikkim, India
- Rhipidomys (Rodentia, Cricetidae) from Paraguay: noteworthy new records and identity of the Paraguayan species
- Observations of the woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus in Pakistan
- Observations on the captive behavior of the rare Patagonian opossum Lestodelphys halli (Thomas, 1921) (Marsupialia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae)
- Short Notes
- Use of space by the black-eared opossum Didelphis aurita in a rural area in southeastern Brazil
- New records of bats for the state of Minas Gerais, with range extension of Eptesicus chiriquinus Thomas (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) to southeastern Brazil
- First records of mormoopid bats (Chiroptera, Mormoopidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
- Long-term adult male sociality in ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua)
- Approach on the genetic diversity in a Lusitanian pine vole population
Articles in the same Issue
- Original Studies
- Resources partitioning in a fruit bat community of the southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil
- Current and potential distribution of Myotis simus (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae)
- Diurnal time budget of goitred gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa Güldenstaedt, 1780) in Xinjiang, China
- Sex ratios of Arabian Sand Gazelle Gazella marica Thomas, 1897 in the Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia
- Influences of pine plantations on small mammal assemblages of the Patagonian forest-steppe ecotone
- Assessing mammal distribution and abundance in intricate eastern Himalayan habitats of Khangchendzonga, Sikkim, India
- Rhipidomys (Rodentia, Cricetidae) from Paraguay: noteworthy new records and identity of the Paraguayan species
- Observations of the woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus in Pakistan
- Observations on the captive behavior of the rare Patagonian opossum Lestodelphys halli (Thomas, 1921) (Marsupialia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae)
- Short Notes
- Use of space by the black-eared opossum Didelphis aurita in a rural area in southeastern Brazil
- New records of bats for the state of Minas Gerais, with range extension of Eptesicus chiriquinus Thomas (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) to southeastern Brazil
- First records of mormoopid bats (Chiroptera, Mormoopidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
- Long-term adult male sociality in ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua)
- Approach on the genetic diversity in a Lusitanian pine vole population
