It is hard to guess what a Pygmy short-tailed opossum weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Pygmy short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis kunsi) on average weights 11 grams (0.02 lbs).
The Pygmy short-tailed opossum is from the family Didelphidae (genus: Monodelphis). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 7 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 pygmy short-tailed opossum, scientifically named Monodelphis kunsi, is an opossum species from South America. M. kunsi is a marsupial from the family Didelphidae of the order Didelphimorphia. Although it is a marsupial, it lacks the characteristic pouch that is often associated with this order. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. M. kunsi is considered a smaller species within the family Didelphidae, which is why it is named a pygmy opossum. The young are referred to as ‘joeys’. The females are referred to as ‘Jill,’ and the males ‘jack’. It was thought to have been endangered in 2001, but has since been moved to least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Animals of the same family as a Pygmy short-tailed opossum
We found other animals of the Didelphidae family:
- Tyler’s mouse opossum with a weight of 32 grams
- Neblina slender opossum with a size of 12.3 cm (0′ 5″)
- Brazilian slender opossum with a weight of 38 grams
- White-eared opossum bringing 1.03 kilos (2.27 lbs) to the scale
- Brown-eared woolly opossum with a weight of 351 grams
- Aceramarca gracile opossum with a weight of 20 grams
- Emilia’s gracile opossum with a weight of 7 grams
- Robinson’s mouse opossum with a weight of 61 grams
- Wood sprite gracile opossum with a weight of 18 grams
- Derby’s woolly opossum with a weight of 328 grams
Animals with the same weight as a Pygmy short-tailed opossum
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Monodelphis kunsi:
- Taiva shrew tenrec bringing 12 grams to the scale
- Plains pocket mouse bringing 9 grams to the scale
- Usambara shrew bringing 11 grams to the scale
- Swamp musk shrew bringing 10 grams to the scale
- Montane shrew tenrec bringing 13 grams to the scale
- Allen’s big-eared bat bringing 12 grams to the scale
- Bidentate yellow-eared bat bringing 11 grams to the scale
- Rufous trident bat bringing 13 grams to the scale
- Ridley’s leaf-nosed bat bringing 9 grams to the scale
- Asiatic short-tailed shrew bringing 12 grams to the scale
Animals with the same size as a Pygmy short-tailed opossum
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Pygmy short-tailed opossum:
- Northern groove-toothed shrew mouse with a size of 8.1 cm (0′ 4″)
- Long-tailed musk shrew with a size of 7.1 cm (0′ 3″)
- Lesser large-headed shrew with a size of 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)
- Roborovski dwarf hamster with a size of 7.2 cm (0′ 3″)
- Mexican small-eared shrew with a size of 6.1 cm (0′ 3″)
- Long-clawed shrew with a size of 7.5 cm (0′ 3″)
- Parnell’s mustached bat with a size of 5.7 cm (0′ 3″)
- Trident bat with a size of 5.6 cm (0′ 3″)
- Large-eared gray shrew with a size of 6.6 cm (0′ 3″)
- Greater false vampire bat with a size of 7.3 cm (0′ 3″)