A facility that based on opossums idea?

Evirapo

Evirapo

Well-Known Member
Places like Duke Lemur Center and Flying Fox Conservation Fund Home are mainly focused on their specific animals, which is kind of my thought is a very cool concept I've ever seen.

What marsupial species from New World do you think should this opossum-based facility hold (It doesn't have to be from captive)
 
I think such an idea would be a bit troublesome compared to other “comparables”…
Many smaller opossum species are only marginally different in characteristics, with their range being the most different thing. And so that would be the only method one has of identification outside of genetic studies… and if you have some hybridisation the animals I imagine wouldn’t look greatly different… but there goes identification.
That and the majority of opossums don’t live very long. I recall there was a time in Europe where there were no opossums in public collections after the wave of the 00s.. only for a few more to pop up later on. I recall I saw Virginia Opossum once at Cedars Nature Centre in 2019… he isn’t around anymore.
I don’t think it’s impossible to culture opossums in captivity… but I do think that chances of collection co-operation are questionable. If you want to culture a species it never helps to work in a vacuum. It often happens that a new species is ushered into captivity and there is much pride that the collection is now the only one in the country with that species. But then what usually happens is that there isn’t much breeding success.. so within a few years the species is gone. Sometimes it can work - Hamerton’s wombats for example, but it’s always advisory to have backup. That way the chances of culturing a sustainable population are greater. And the sad thing is that many zoo directors don’t tend to innovate - most don’t stray from the status quo. There has to be enthusiasm…
 
dillotest0 said:
I think such an idea would be a bit troublesome compared to other “comparables”…
Many smaller opossum species are only marginally different in characteristics, with their range being the most different thing. And so that would be the only method one has of identification outside of genetic studies… and if you have some hybridisation the animals I imagine wouldn’t look greatly different… but there goes identification.
That and the majority of opossums don’t live very long. I recall there was a time in Europe when there were no opossums in public collections after the wave of the 00s.. only for a few more to pop up later on. I recall I saw Virginia Opossum once at Cedars Nature Centre in 2019… he isn’t around anymore.
I don’t think it’s impossible to culture opossums in captivity… but I do think that chances of collection co-operation are questionable. If you want to culture a species it never helps to work in a vacuum. It often happens that a new species is ushered into captivity and there is much pride that the collection is now the only one in the country with that species. But then what usually happens is that there isn’t much breeding success.. so within a few years the species is gone. Sometimes it can work - Hamerton’s wombats for example, but it’s always advisory to have backup. That way the chances of culturing a sustainable population are greater. And the sad thing is that many zoo directors don’t tend to innovate - most don’t stray from the status quo. There has to be enthusiasm…
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That doesn’t change the fact that some marsupials in the Americas can live more than four years as ferret’s lifespan and the world has more than 500 captive short-tailed opossum populations. As far as I know, several unique opossums are threatened species and barely getting photographed every time so it implies to me that there's something wrong with these and nobody cares about these:(
 
Evirapo said:
That doesn’t change the fact that some marsupials in the Americas can live more than four years as ferret’s lifespan and the world has more than 500 captive short-tailed opossum populations. As far as I know, several unique opossums are threatened species and barely getting photographed every time so it implies to me that there's something wrong with these and nobody cares about these:(
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I think part of it is that many of these are known only from a few specimens - that or a line of thought along the lines of; 'we haven't seen X opossum in this area before, so these must be a new species.'
I would imagine there is some overlap somewhere in this, so it's hard to tell exactly what you are looking at without genetic study. And the way much of zoological science works is that of 'model species' from what I know. Basically - of this elusive, little known group there are some which are slightly less elusive or hostile to work with. We can work with this species in captivity; in the laboratory; and it provides interesting information about genetic structure, morphology, number of young and all those interesting statistics....
and so from what we know about those they are typically applied to other species in the group. But exceptions do exist, which I would imagine some of these mouse-opossums have... but goodness knows if there are any zoologists dying to conduct such a survey.
 
dillotest0 said:
I think part of it is that many of these are known only from a few specimens - that or a line of thought along the lines of; 'we haven't seen X opossum in this area before, so these must be a new species.'
I would imagine there is some overlap somewhere in this, so it's hard to tell exactly what you are looking at without genetic study. And the way much of zoological science works is that of 'model species' from what I know. Basically - of this elusive, little known group there are some which are slightly less elusive or hostile to work with. We can work with this species in captivity; in the laboratory; and it provides interesting information about genetic structure, morphology, number of young and all those interesting statistics....
and so from what we know about those they are typically applied to other species in the group. But exceptions do exist, which I would imagine some of these mouse-opossums have... but goodness knows if there are any zoologists dying to conduct such a survey.
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Exactly, Most genus (Mostly mouse opossums and gray four-eyed opossums) are very similar but I'd say It’s pretty not much impossible to identify if you know the range and have very good eyes. I'm an opossum enthusiast and I’ve knowledge of many opossums
 
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OKC Zoo had a black-shouldered opossum pair whose species is very understudied and impossible to see in the wild but has successfully bred, so I don't see why it can't be a thing again.
 
I like this idea. I did an essay on marsupials as part of my zoology degree. I also realise that South American marsupials tend to be neglected. I remember watching a nature programme that showed a film of a shrew opossum followed by a monito de monte. Members of both families have been kept in captivity, although I don't think they have been on-show in zoos.

The following opossums are kept in ZTL collections: Derby's woolly opossum, four-eyed opossum, grey short-tailed opossum, northern black-eared opossum, Virginia opossum

The following opossums have been kept in ZTL collections: bare-tailed and brown-eared woolly opossums, Brazilian white-eared opossum, brown four-eyed opossum, dusky and white-bellied slender opossums, elegant fat-tailed mouse opossum, Linnaeus's and Mexican mouse opossums, orange-sided opossum, red-legged short-tailed opossum, southern black-eared opossum, thick-tailed opossum, water opossum
 
Dassie rat said:
I like this idea. I did an essay on marsupials as part of my zoology degree. I also realise that South American marsupials tend to be neglected. I remember watching a nature programme that showed a film of a shrew opossum followed by a monito de monte. Members of both families have been kept in captivity, although I don't think they have been on-show in zoos.

The following opossums are kept in ZTL collections: Derby's woolly opossum, four-eyed opossum, grey short-tailed opossum, northern black-eared opossum, Virginia opossum

The following opossums have been kept in ZTL collections: bare-tailed and brown-eared woolly opossums, Brazilian white-eared opossum, brown four-eyed opossum, dusky and white-bellied slender opossums, elegant fat-tailed mouse opossum, Linnaeus's and Mexican mouse opossums, orange-sided opossum, red-legged short-tailed opossum, southern black-eared opossum, thick-tailed opossum, water opossum
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That's very interesting, May I know the name of the film with shrew opossum?
 
You'd have to be breeding like crazy given the short lifespan of many species. When you only have 2-5 years to manage breeding your current individuals, that's very little time for error or lack of success. Maintaining populations of opossums has frequently been problematic.
 
I feel like in captivity, opossums and octopodes have much in common. Places get them as individuals or in small numbers, they live only a couple years, and then it might be hard to get a replacement.
 
GaryA said:
Maybe you need to get out more? :)
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What do you mean by that? I sure do not understand that people telling me to “get out more” with no context or whatever but these animals are still threatened and mostly unseen by people, which Imply me that they might not do any well even if listed as LC by IUCN. They still live up to 8 years much same as Tasmanian devil so shouldn't they be kept in captive again?
 
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