D. Virginiana (Didelphis Marsupialis) Essay -- Biology Animals Researc

D. Virginiana (Didelphis Marsupialis) The text of this paper will cover a description of D. virginiana, its ecology, history, and research involving the species. The first topic to be discussed by this paper is a description of D. virginiana, which was until recently referred to as Didelphis marsupialis. The description of the opossum will start with a taxonomic description of the species. Following, will be the opossums appearance, and last will be the life cycle of the noted species. The opossum, Didelphis virginiana, takes its name from two different languages. The name Didelphis is made up of the two Greek words â€Å"di†, and â€Å"delphys† which stand for â€Å"two wombs† referring to the female opossums paired reproductive tract. The name â€Å"virginiana†, means â€Å"of Virginia† in its Latinized form. This refers to the where the first scientific specimen was found and catalogued (The Georgia). The taxonomic classification of the opossum is as follows: Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Marsupialia; Family: Didelphidae; Genus: Didelphis; Species: Virginiana (Savage 45). The appearance of D. virginiana is quite unique. It has a length of approximately 650 – 900 millimeters (25.4 – 35.1 inches), and a weight of approximately 1.8 – 4.5 kilograms (4 – 10 pounds) (Yahner 11). The opossum has a gray, or black, hair color scheme, with a scaly prehensile tail (Merritt 33). The forefeet and hind feet both have five clawed toes. However, the hind big toe is opposable and resembles a thumb (Merritt 35). The opossum, being a marsupial, also has a pouch (Yahner 11). The life cycle of Didelphis virginiana is quite interesting, ... ...bdominal cavities of the given marsupials, and enclosing them in pens at a constant temperature, the researchers were able to get more exact mean body temperatures for the marsupials. They were also able to find the circadian, or twenty-four hour, rhythms in the body temperatures of the marsupials. The mean body temperature for D. virginiana was found to be 35.1 degrees Celsius, with a range from 33.8 to 36.3 degrees Celsius. The lower range of the temperature was found to be during the day. The results for D. virginiana were similar to previous calculations of mean body temperature. The data from this study was compared to eutharian mammals, which showed similar differences among their species (Gemmell). In conclusion, the text of this paper has covered a description of D. virginiana, its ecology, history, and research involving the species.