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Glite Dictionary
Didelphidae

Didelphidae

9.9
A family of animals like opossums that live in the Americas
  • noun
  • /ˌdɪdɛlˈfaɪdi/
  • Specialized
: Didelphidae
  • The Didelphidae family includes various species of opossums, which are known for their ability to play dead.

Examples

  • The Didelphidae family is the largest group of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere.

  • Members of Didelphidae are commonly known as opossums and are found throughout Central and South America.

  • Scientists studied the evolutionary history of Didelphidae to better understand their adaptation to diverse habitats.

  • The family Didelphidae includes various species of opossums.

  • Did you know that Didelphidae are the only marsupials found in North America?

  • Members of Didelphidae are found in diverse ecosystems, ranging from forests to urban areas in the Americas.

  • Did you know that Didelphidae are the only marsupials naturally found in North America?

Synonyms

opossum
vsDidelphidae
6 5.1

A small tree-living animal in Australia and the Americas with a pouch and a tail that can hold things

is native only to the Americas rather than occurring also in Australia

Surface Forms

Didelphidae singular
Didelphidae plural

Morphology

Didelphidae = Didelphis (opaque) = Didelphis + idae

A technical taxonomic formation from a genus name plus the Latin family suffix '-idae' that is not predictable to average learners.

Etymology

Didelphidae comes from Greek parts di- 'two' and delphys 'womb', and the ending -idae marks an animal family. Early scientists used the name because female opossums have a double womb, so Didelphidae is the 'family of animals with two wombs', which explains why it refers to opossums.