---
title: "Derby's Woolly Opossum"
description: "Caluromys derbianus — Mamíferos. Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum, is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/derby-s-woolly-opossum
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Derby's Woolly Opossum

> Caluromys derbianus — Mamíferos. Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum, is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia.

- Scientific name: *Caluromys derbianus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mamíferos)
- Habitats: `forest` (Floresta)
- iNaturalist observations: 1184
- Wikidata: [Q194243](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q194243)
- iNaturalist taxon: [42550](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42550)

## Names

- en: Derby's Woolly Opossum
- de: Mittelamerikanische Wollbeutelratte
- es: Tlacuache dorado
- fr: Opossum laineux de Derby
- nl: Derbywolhaarbuidelrat

## Countries with the most observations

CR (374), PA (236), EC (95), MX (82), HN (55), CO (53), NI (50), GT (16), BZ (8)

## Summary

Derby's woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), or the Central American woolly opossum, is an opossum found in deciduous and moist evergreen forests of Central America, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia. It was first described by English naturalist George Robert Waterhouse, and named in honor of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Derby's woolly opossum is the largest in its genus, with a total length of 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in) and weight between 200 and 400 grams (7.1 and 14.1 oz). The coat is brown and the underside white-buff to golden-brown. The opossum is nocturnal (active mainly…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derby%27s_woolly_opossum

## Photo

![Derby's Woolly Opossum](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/derby-s-woolly-opossum/medium.jpg)

Photo: David Samuel Rodríguez Vásquez · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189861481

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/derby-s-woolly-opossum?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).