Daily activity of the water opossum Chironectes minimus in Atlantic Forest rivers in Brazil

What is it about?

This study describes the activity patterns of the only semi-aquatic marsupial of the world, living in South and Central America. We compared duration (minutes active per night) and shape (which part of the night) of the activity between males and females and dry and wet seasons.

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Why is it important?

Daily activity rhythms are important features of the adaptation of vertebrates to their environments. Neotropical marsupials are mainly nocturnal, despite its very different ecological requirements. The water opossum is the only semi-aquatic marsupial in the world, and it has a unique morphology and ecology for adaptation to aquatic environments. Then, it is an interesting question to verify whether this general activity pattern is maintained or not in the most atypical Neotropical marsupial.