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Litter Size

How many babies does a Gray short-tailed opossum have at once? (litter size)

How many baby Gray short-tailed opossums are in a litter?

A Gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) usually gives birth to around 7 babies.With 4 litters per year, that sums up to a yearly offspring of 28 babies.

Each of those little ones spend around 14 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 16.28 kg (35.88 lbs) and measure 0.9 cm (0′ 1″). They are a member of the Didelphidae family (genus: Monodelphis). An adult Gray short-tailed opossum grows up to a size of 14.8 cm (0′ 6″).

To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.

The average litter size of a Gray short-tailed opossum is 7

The gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is a small South American member of the family Didelphidae. Unlike most other marsupials, the gray short-tailed opossum does not have a true pouch. The scientific name Monodelphis is derived from Greek and means “single womb” (referring to the lack of a pouch) and the Latin word domestica which means “domestic” (chosen because of the species’ habit of entering human dwellings). It was the first marsupial to have its genome sequenced. The gray short-tailed opossum is used as a research model in science, and is also frequently found in the exotic pet trade. It is also known as the Brazilian opossum, rainforest opossum and in a research setting the laboratory opossum.

Other animals of the family Didelphidae

Gray short-tailed opossum is a member of the Didelphidae, as are these animals:

Animals that share a litter size with Gray short-tailed opossum

Those animals also give birth to 7 babies at once:

Animals that get as old as a Gray short-tailed opossum

Other animals that usually reach the age of 6 years:

Animals with the same weight as a Gray short-tailed opossum

What other animals weight around 94 grams (0.21 lbs)?

Animals with the same size as a Gray short-tailed opossum

Also reaching around 14.8 cm (0′ 6″) in size do these animals: