Mammals · Microbiotheria · Microbiotheriidae
Southern Monito del Monte
Dromiciops gliroides
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The monito del monte is a tiny marsupial of the temperate rainforest of southern Chile and Argentina, and a genuine evolutionary relic: it is the sole survivor of the order Microbiotheria, and its closest living relatives are not in the Americas but in Australia. It is nocturnal, arboreal and omnivorous, with a fondness for insects and for the fruit of the quintral, a mistletoe for which it is the only known disperser. It hibernates in winter in spherical nests of bamboo lined with moss.
Weight
16 g – 42 g
Size
8 cm – 13 cm
Life expectancy
3 years
