NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the northern black-eared opossum, is a species of marsupial living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, where it is referred to as the manicou. The common opossum prefers forests, but can also be found in fields and cities.
Wikipedia contributors, Common opossum; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:39:13.847057+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Didelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Common Opossum
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Didelphimorphia
- Family
- Didelphidae
- Genus
- Didelphis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassMetatheria Huxley, 1880
- orderDidelphimorphia Gill, 1872
- familyDidelphidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyDidelphinae Gray, 1821
- tribeDidelphini Gray, 1821
- genusDidelphis Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesDidelphis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Didelphis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Big-eared OpossumDidelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Virginia OpossumDidelphis virginiana Kerr, 1792 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andean White-eared OpossumDidelphis pernigra J. A. Allen, 1900 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Guianan White-eared OpossumDidelphis imperfecta Mondolfi & Pérez-Hernández, 1984 | DidelphidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Didelphis marsupialis caucae J. A. Allen, 1900 J. A. Allen, 1900 | synonym |
| Didelphis marsupialis marsupialis Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552536 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:35WKD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.