It is hard to guess what a Southern red-sided opossum weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Southern red-sided opossum (Monodelphis sorex) on average weights 48 grams (0.11 lbs).
The Southern red-sided opossum is from the family Didelphidae (genus: Monodelphis). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 7.2 cm (0′ 3″).
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The southern red-sided opossum (Monodelphis sorex) is an opossum species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.This opossum has small rounded ears, a long pointed nose and a tail which is half as long as its body. The head, neck and foreparts are grey, the back is dark brown and the rump is reddish. It has short fur and the males are larger than the females. It is terrestrial and mainly feeds on insects, although it will also eat small vertebrates and fruit. Unlike most marsupials, the female has no pouch for the developing young. They cling to the mother’s nipples and when they are older, ride on her back and flanks.It is also called the shrewish short-tailed opossum, or dwarf short-tailed opossum.
Animals of the same family as a Southern red-sided opossum
We found other animals of the Didelphidae family:
- Yellow-sided opossum with a weight of 45 grams
- Bare-tailed woolly mouse opossum with a weight of 119 grams
- Wood sprite gracile opossum with a weight of 18 grams
- Gray four-eyed opossum with a weight of 426 grams
- Tate’s woolly mouse opossum with a weight of 112 grams
- One-striped opossum with a weight of 55 grams
- Agile gracile opossum with a weight of 22 grams
- Robinson’s mouse opossum with a weight of 61 grams
- Dwarf fat-tailed mouse opossum with a weight of 20 grams
- Woolly mouse opossum with a weight of 107 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Southern red-sided opossum
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Monodelphis sorex:
- Lukolela swamp rat bringing 42 grams to the scale
- Halmahera blossom bat bringing 39 grams to the scale
- Greater Wilfred’s mouse bringing 46 grams to the scale
- Highland brush mouse bringing 54 grams to the scale
- Little collared fruit bat bringing 44 grams to the scale
- Handleyomys melanotis bringing 50 grams to the scale
- Cape golden mole bringing 39 grams to the scale
- Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat bringing 45 grams to the scale
- Cape elephant shrew bringing 49 grams to the scale
- Mole-like rice tenrec bringing 39 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Southern red-sided opossum
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Southern red-sided opossum:
- Red fruit bat with a size of 6.1 cm (0′ 3″)
- Hairy-legged vampire bat with a size of 7.9 cm (0′ 4″)
- Eurasian harvest mouse with a size of 5.9 cm (0′ 3″)
- Canyon mouse with a size of 8.2 cm (0′ 4″)
- Pygmy short-tailed opossum with a size of 7 cm (0′ 3″)
- Forrest’s mouse with a size of 8.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Mindanao pygmy fruit bat with a size of 6.4 cm (0′ 3″)
- Wilson’s spiny mouse with a size of 8 cm (0′ 4″)
- Gray spiny mouse with a size of 8.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Southern short-tailed shrew with a size of 7.3 cm (0′ 3″)