負鼠目Didelphimorphia, 源自希臘語δι（di,"兩個、雙重、兩次"）、希臘語δελφύς（delphys,"子宮"）和希臘語μορφή（morphē,"形式、形狀、外觀"）,意為 "雙子宮",指的是這些動物的生殖器分叉（陰莖分叉和陰道分叉）

Didelphimorphia, from the Greek δι (di, “two, double, twice”), Greek δελφύς (delphys, “womb”) and Greek μορφή (morphē “form, shape, appearance”), means "double-wombed", in reference to the fact that these animals have bifurcated genitals (bifurcated penises and bifurcated vaginas).

種的俗名 Common names of members

負鼠

Opossums.

分佈 Distribution 

主要分佈在中美洲和南美洲,只有一個物種（北美負鼠 Didelphis virginiana）分佈在北美洲.

Mostly in Central and South America, except 1 species (Didelphis virginiana), which occurs in North America. 

體型 Size

牠們的體型為小到中等,長度從10公分到75公分.

Their sizes range in small and medium size, from 10 cm to 75 cm length.

形態描述 Morphology

北美負鼠大多呈灰色或棕色,有黑色的眼睛和長耳朵、長鼻、狹窄的腦殼和突出的矢狀脊.牠們大多有一條可向前伸的尾巴,有的還長有一個腮囊（marsupium）.

Most of them are gray or brown in color, with black eyes and long ears, long snouts, a narrow braincase, and a prominent sagittal crest. Most have a prehensile tail and some have a marsupium, the pouch.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

牠們大多棲息在潮濕封閉（如雨林、紅樹林、沼澤）和中度開闊（如草原、稀樹草原）的生態系統中.

Most of them inhabit wet-closed (e.g., rainforest, mangroves, swamps) and mesic-open (e.g., grasslands, savannahs) ecosystems.

食性 Diet

這是一種非專門的雜食物種,食用脊椎動物(青蛙、、鳥類、松鼠、)、無脊椎動物(蟲子、蠕蟲、)和植物物質.

It is an unspecialized omnivorous group, feeding on vertebrates (frogs, rodents, birds, lizards, carrions), invertebrates (bugs, worms, snails), and plant matter (fruits and leaves). Four dietary classes are defined: general omnivores, omnivores with fruit preference, omnivores with invertebrate preference and omnivores with vertebrate preference.

繁殖 Reproduction 

牠們是一雄多雌繁殖（一只雄性與多只雌性交配）.許多種類都是半產卵：雄性交配後不久死亡,雌性在第一胎斷奶後死亡.

新生兒手臂強壯,爪子發達.牠們會沿著乳腺區域抓撓,進入母親的乳袋並附著在乳頭上.當牠們長得太大時,就會離開乳袋,爬到母親的背上.2-4 個月後,牠們會斷奶並變得獨立.

They are polygynous (one male mating with multiple females). Many species are semelparous: males die shortly after mating, females die after weaning their first litter.

The new born have strong arms with well-developed claws. They will claw along the mammary region, entering the mother's pouch and attach to a nipple. When they grow too large, they will leave the pouch and crawl on their mother's back. They are weaned and become independent after 2-4 months.

已知的物種

Total species known

111

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

1

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

References 參考文獻

- Silva-Neto, F. C., Pavan, S. E., Astúa, D. (2023). Evolution, divergence, and convergence in the mandibles of opossums (Didelphidae, Didelphimorphia). Current Zoology, zoad027. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoad027.

- Chemisquy, M. A., Tarquini, S. D., Romano Muñoz, C.O., Prevosti, F. J. (2021). Form, Function and Evolution of the Skull of Didelphid Marsupials (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae). Journal of Mammalian Evolution, (3)28, 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-019-09495-4. 

- Mitchell, K. J., Pratt, R. C., Watson, L. N., Gibb, G. C., Llamas, B., Kasper, M., Edson, J., Hopwood, B., Male, D., Armstrong, K. N., Meyer, M., Hofreiter, M., Austin, J., Donnellan, S. C., Lee, M. S. Y., Phillips, M. J., Cooper, A. (2014). Molecular Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Habitat Preference Evolution of Marsupials. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 31(9), 2322–2330. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu176.

- Bradshaw, C.J.A., McMahon, C. R. (2008). Fecundity. In S. E. Jørgensen, B. D. Fath (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Ecology (pp. 1535-1543). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-008045405-4.00645-5.