News tagged with opossums
Opossum
Several; see text
Opossums (Didelphimorphia, /daɪˌdɛlfɨˈmɔrfiə/) make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, including 103 or more species in 19 genera. They are also commonly called possums, though that term technically refers to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes. The Virginia opossum was the first animal to be named an opossum; usage of the name was published in 1610. The word opossum comes from the Proto-Algonquian aposoum, pronounced *wa˙p- aʔθemw, meaning "white dog" or "white beast/ animal". Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretaceous or early Paleocene.
Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.[citation needed]
For more information about Opossum, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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Pythons apparently wiping out Everglades mammals
A burgeoning population of huge pythons - many of them pets that were turned loose by their owners when they got too big - appears to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals ...
Jan 30, 2012 |
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Study provides new insights into an ancient mechanism of mammalian evolution
A team of geneticists and computational biologists in the UK today reveal how an ancient mechanism is involved in gene control and continues to drive genome evolution. The new study is published in the journal ...
Jan 12, 2012 |
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Archaeologists find new evidence of animals being introduced to prehistoric Caribbean
An archaeological research team from North Carolina State University, the University of Washington and University of Florida has found one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric non-native animal remains ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 01, 2011 |
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Whiskers marked milestone in evolution of mammals from reptiles
Research from the University of Sheffield comparing rats and mice with their distance relatives the marsupial, suggests that moveable whiskers were an important milestone in the evolution of mammals from reptiles.
Nov 10, 2011 |
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Heidi, Germany's cross-eyed opossum star, dead
Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum who became an Internet sensation in Germany, winning three times more Facebook admirers than Chancellor Angela Merkel, died on Wednesday, her zoo said.
Sep 28, 2011 |
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Invasion of genomic parasites triggered modern mammalian pregnancy
Genetic parasites invaded the mammalian genome more than 100 million years ago and dramatically changed the way mammals reproduce -- transforming the uterus in the ancestors of humans and other mammals from the production ...
Sep 25, 2011 |
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Rapid venom evolution in pit vipers may be defensive
Research published recently in PLoS One delivers new insight about rapid toxin evolution in venomous snakes: pitvipers such as rattlesnakes may be engaged in an arms race with opossums, a group of snake-eating American marsup ...
Jul 18, 2011 |
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Old, large, living trees must be left standing to protect nesting animals: study
Old trees must be protected to save the homes of more than 1,000 different bird and mammal species who nest, says a new study from the University of British Columbia. Most animals can't carve out their own tree holes and ...
Jun 16, 2011 |
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Researchers reveal ancient origins of modern opossum
A University of Florida researcher has co-authored a study tracing the evolution of the modern opossum back to the extinction of the dinosaurs and finding evidence to support North America as the center of ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 16, 2009 |
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Climate change driving Michigan mammals north
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some Michigan mammal species are rapidly expanding their ranges northward, apparently in response to climate change, a new study shows. In the process, these historically southern species ...
May 12, 2009 |
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