Yapok, water opossum
Chironectes minimus
An aquatic marsupial - a member of the opossum family - with black and grey waterproof fur, webbed hind feet and a backward-pointing pouch in both sexes.
Life span
Up to 3 years in captivity.
Water Opossum (C. minimus)
Didelphis
(Large American
opossums)
White-eared Opossum (D. albiventris) Â- Big-eared Opossum (D. aurita) Â- Guianan White-eared Opossum (D. imperfecta) Â- Common Opossum (D. marsupialis) Â- Andean White-eared Opossum (D.
Genus Chironectes (water opossum and yapok)
Genus Didelphis (common opossums)
Genus Gracilinanus (gracile mouse opossums) ...
Water opossum (Chironectes minimus)
Ballochs blue-eye (Kiunga ballochi)
Green mantella (Mantella viridis)
Robber frog (Craugastor sabrinus)
Ambrosi's cave salamander (Speleomantes ambrosii)
Falcon toad (Rhinella sternosignata) ...
Rufous hare-wallaby or Mala
Rufous hare-wallaby or Mala
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil
Virginia Opossum
Water opossum or yapok
Water opossum or yapok
Yellow-footed rock wallaby
Yellow-footed rock wallaby ...
and are carried in the pouch for three months. When emerging, they often spend time riding on the mother's back, clinging on to the fur or to a tail with their own tails. The Australian water opossum has webbed feet.
Among the other opossum species are the tiny mouse opossums (Marmosa species) and the yapok, or water opossum (Chironectes minimus), which has webbed feet and leads a semiaquatic existence. The yapok ranges from Guatemala to Brazil.
 See also: Marsupial, Opossum, Virginia Opossum, Yapok, Mouse
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