How big does a Common opossum get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) reaches an average size of 40.2 cm (1′ 4″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). Usually, they reach an age of 2.67 years. A full-grown exemplary reaches roughly 1.14 kg (2.52 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Common opossums have 7 babies about 2 times per year. The Common opossum (genus: Didelphis) is a member of the family Didelphidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), also called the southern or black-eared opossum or gambá, and sometimes called a possum, is a marsupial species living from the northeast of Mexico to Bolivia (reaching the coast of the South Pacific Ocean to the central coast of Peru), including the Lesser Antilles, where it is called manicou. It prefers the woods, but can also live in fields and cities.The common opossum is sometimes used by humans for food on islands in the West Indies.
Animals of the same family as a Common opossum
We found other animals of the Didelphidae family:
- Agile gracile opossum with a size of 9.4 cm (0′ 4″)
- Brown four-eyed opossum with a size of 26.1 cm (0′ 11″)
- Dusky slender opossum with a size of 13.1 cm (0′ 6″)
- Guajira mouse opossum with a size of 13.1 cm (0′ 6″)
- Patagonian opossum with a size of 13.6 cm (0′ 6″)
- Pygmy short-tailed opossum with a size of 7 cm (0′ 3″)
- White-bellied slender opossum with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Southern red-sided opossum with a size of 7.2 cm (0′ 3″)
- Gray slender opossum with a size of 13 cm (0′ 6″)
- Tate’s woolly mouse opossum with a size of 16.8 cm (0′ 7″)
Animals with the same size as a Common opossum
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Common opossum:
- Eastern cottontail with a size of 37.2 cm (1′ 3″)
- Angolan kusimanse with a size of 32.6 cm (1′ 1″)
- Eastern lesser bamboo lemur with a size of 33.5 cm (1′ 2″)
- African savanna hare with a size of 45 cm (1′ 6″)
- Eastern common cuscus with a size of 38.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- Patagonian weasel with a size of 32.4 cm (1′ 1″)
- Diana monkey with a size of 47 cm (1′ 7″)
- Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat with a size of 38.2 cm (1′ 4″)
- Lesser grison with a size of 42.4 cm (1′ 5″)
- Black-footed ferret with a size of 39.7 cm (1′ 4″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Common opossum
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (7) as a Common opossum:
- Arctic fox
- Little ground squirrel
- Tawny-bellied cotton rat
- Ooldea dunnart
- Northern red-sided opossum
- Stolička’s mountain vole
- European hamster
- Long-tailed planigale
- Taiga shrew
- Fat-tailed dunnart
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Common opossum
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Common opossum:
- Marsh rice rat with an average maximal age of 2.33 years
- Asian house shrew with an average maximal age of 2.5 years
- Southwestern myotis with an average maximal age of 3.17 years
- Coast mole with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Chestnut tree mouse with an average maximal age of 2.42 years
- Bicolored shrew with an average maximal age of 3 years
- Lesser white-toothed shrew with an average maximal age of 2.67 years
- Northern quoll with an average maximal age of 2.83 years
- Lowland streaked tenrec with an average maximal age of 2.67 years
- Golden mouse with an average maximal age of 2.5 years
Animals with the same weight as a Common opossum
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Didelphis marsupialis:
- Muskrat bringing 992 grams to the scale
- Western quoll with a weight of 1.12 kilos (2.47 lbs)
- Bahia porcupine bringing 999 grams to the scale
- Grizzled giant squirrel with a weight of 1.33 kilos (2.93 lbs)
- Big-eared opossum with a weight of 1.11 kilos (2.45 lbs)
- Banded palm civet with a weight of 1.27 kilos (2.8 lbs)
- Collared titi with a weight of 1.22 kilos (2.69 lbs)
- Coppery titi with a weight of 1.12 kilos (2.47 lbs)
- Poncelet’s giant rat with a weight of 1 kilos (2.2 lbs)
- Desert rat-kangaroo bringing 929 grams to the scale