Identify This Costa Rica Critter And Win A Costa Rica Music CD!

The first person to correctly identify this Costa Rica critter will win the Costa Rica Pura Vida Folk Music CD which normally sells for US$19.95

As I jogged around the lake on yet another gorgeous morning I spotted this little critter (about 6 inches long) fast asleep in a nook at the base of a tree in Parque La Sabana in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The first person to email me and identify this critter (the exact name of the animal please) featured in these photographs will win the Costa Rica Pura Vida Folk Music CD so, please include the exact name, your full name and the best mailing address.

Please email all of this information to me using our quick and simple Contact Form here.

A big ‘muchisimas gracias’ to the dozens of you who emailed in the correct answer, but there is only one winner and …

Steve correctly identified this Costa Rica critter as the Philander Opossum…

According to www.KnowYourSto.com the Philander Opossum is sometimes described as being in the Metachirops genus instead of Philander.

It is known as:

1. English: Gray Four-Eyed Opossum
2. English: Common gray four-eyed opossum
3. Costa Rica: Zorro de Cuatro Ojos
4. Czech: vacice ctygoká
5. Honduras: Cayopolin
6. Spanish: Filandro de Cara Negruzca
7. Spanish: Tlacuache Cuatro-ojos
8. Spanish: Cayopolin
9. Spanish: Zorro de Cuatro
10. Portuguese: Cuíca
11. Portuguese: Mucura-de-Quatro-Olhos

Etymology: The “four-eyed” part of the name refers to the white spots over each eyes.

These opossums are found in the neotropics, including; Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (down to the southeast), Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico (up to the northeast), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, El Salvador and Venezuela. They prefer gardens, second growth and near streams. They are found in tropical forested areas (deciduous, evergreen, rainforest and scrub) but the southern part of their range is more temperate. They usually live in areas with 1000+ mm rain/year. Due to their swimming ability they can be found on islands.

According to Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America they live in the lowlands to 1600m. Their nests are usually constructed in tree branches, hollow trees or vine tangles 8-10 meters from the ground, or on the ground around fallen trees or roots and even occasionally in burrows. The nest tends to be globular with a 30 cm diameter. Michael Waters of University of Michigan notes “While its range may extend as much as 300 meters, over fifty percent of the movements of this species occur within 30 meters.” They are thought to be nocturnal like most other South American opossums, but equal amounts of activity have been observed during daytime. They are terrestrial to semi-arboreal and can swim well. There are conflicting reports on how these opossums react defensively; some state they run away on the ground while others say they escape by climbing nearby trees.

They are omnivorous. Like many other South American opossums, they are opportunistic and will feed on a variety of small animals, including birds, crabs, eggs, frogs, insects, lizards, mice, shrimp and rodents. About half their diet comes from soft fruits, bananas, papayas, seeds and leaves. Cecropia and Piper are specific types of fruit they eat. Nowak (1997) report they have damaged farmer’s corn and fruit crops. Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America reports they are attracted by the sounds of breeding frogs or distressed bats.

Unlike many pouch-less South American opossums, this opossum does have a pouch equipped with 5-9 nipples. Males may be slightly larger than females, but the difference may not be very significant. Females become sexually mature at 6-8 months after attaining a weight of more than 200 grams. Litter sizes range from 2-7 with an average of 4-5. Larger females (445 grams+) may have larger litters of about 5 while smaller females have closer to 3.8. They may reproduce throughout the year, commonly having 2+ litters per year. They tend to breed more successfully during rainy periods when food is more plentiful. Breeding is less common during the drier months of June-August. The rate of breeding success is low, particularly during dry months. The young nurse for about 3 months, then grow significantly (by a factor of 10) after weaning. Their life expectancy in the wild is 1-2 years. The longest recorded lifespan in captivity is 2.3 years, according to Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish (Carey & Judge, 2001).

Appearance:

• Size: They weigh between 220-680 grams. the length of their body is 250-350mm.
• Tail: The prehensile tail is nearly 100% the length of the body, with gray fur extending 50-60mm from the base before becoming hairless and paler.
• Legs: The back legs are longer and more muscular than the front paws, indicating they are more terrestrial than arboreal.

According to Michael Waters of the University of Michigan: “The coloration of the short, straight hair is gray dorsally and off-white to yellow ventrally… Philander opossum has a slender body and a large head. Its rostrum is fairly long and narrows at the tip.”

They are described by Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America as: “Upperparts dark gray-brown to blackish gray peppered with white hairs, imparting a slight sheen; underparts and tops of feet cream or yellow. Fur dense and slightly woolly. Ears black, naked; cream-colored patch of fur at bases. Head blackish, with contrasting cream spots above the eyes and cream cheeks. Eyeshine bright, reddish. Tail haired like body for basal 30-50mm, then almost naked and blackish for two-thirds or more of its length, contrasting with pure white tip.”

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Compiled by Scott Oliver, author of How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa and Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.