description Tyler's mouse opossum Overview
Tyler's mouse opossum (Marmosa tyleriana) is a small marsupial native to the humid, highland forests of the Guiana Shield in southern Venezuela. It belongs to the Didelphidae family and is specifically adapted to the unique tepuis, or table-top mountains, characteristic of the region. Like other mouse opossums, it is an arboreal and nocturnal animal with a prehensile tail used for climbing. Due to its remote habitat, the species remains relatively obscure, and specific details regarding its population size and ecological behavior are limited.
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What is Tyler's mouse opossum's scientific name?
Its scientific name is Marmosa tyleriana, a small South American marsupial in the family Didelphidae. It is a mouse opossum, so it is more closely related to other American opossums than to placental mice.
Where does Tyler's mouse opossum live?
Known records come from humid highland forests of southern Venezuela in the Guiana Highlands. Specimens are associated with elevations around 1,300 to 2,200 meters and isolated tepui landscapes.
Which tepuis are associated with Marmosa tyleriana?
Published species accounts list Auyantepui, Marahuaca, and Sarisariñama among its isolated tepui localities. These landscapes fall within protected areas including Canaima, Duida-Marahuaca, and Jaua-Sarisariñama national parks.
Why is it called Tyler's mouse opossum?
The species name honors Sidney F. Tyler, who helped finance the American Museum of Natural History expedition that found it during the 1928-29 Orinoco headwaters expedition. Tyleriana therefore refers to a person, while Marmosa identifies the mouse-opossum genus.
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