| Large American opossums[1] | |
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| The white-eared opossum, Didelphis albiventris, lives in South America. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Didelphimorphia |
| Family: | Didelphidae |
| Subfamily: | Didelphinae |
| Tribe: | Didelphini |
| Genus: | Didelphis Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Didelphis marsupialis | |
| Species | |
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Didelphis is a genus of New World marsupials. The six species in the genus Didelphis, commonly known as Large American opossums, are members of the opossum order, Didelphimorphia.
The genus Didelphis is composed of cat-sized omnivorous species, which can be recognized by their prehensile tails and their tendency to feign death when cornered. The largest species, the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), is the only marsupial to be found in North America, north of Mexico.
The Virginia opossum has opposable toes on their two back feet.
One of the synapomorphies of this genus is the hypertrophied spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae, which also interlock. As a result, this prevents and movement of the neck. The purpose of this is not yet fully understood.[2]
- ^ Gardner, A. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Giannini, Norberto P.; Gaudioso, Pablo; Flores, David A.; Gaudin, Timothy J. (2011-07-01). "A possible function for an enigmatic synapomorphy of Didelphis". Mammalian Biology. 76 (4): 512–514. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2010.06.001. ISSN 1616-5047.