Paucituberculata

The order Paucituberculata encompasses six species of South American marsupials known as rat opossums. These marsupials, which include the common shrew opossums, the Incan caenolestid, and the Chilean shrew opossum, are part of the New World section of marsupials. Rat opossums are characterized by their long, narrow muzzles and have between 46 and 48 teeth. They lack a pouch and are primarily terrestrial, though they are capable climbers. Their diet consists of insects, small vertebrates, fruits, and vegetation. These animals inhabit moist subtropical and cloud forests in the Andes Mountains of Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia, as well as the temperate rainforests of south-central Chile.1