Black-shouldered Opossum vs Black-thighed Puffleg

Caluromysiops irrupta compared with Eriocnemis derbyi

Key Differences

• Black-shouldered Opossum is Least Concern while Black-thighed Puffleg is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-shouldered Opossum	Black-thighed Puffleg
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Didelphidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Caluromysiops	Eriocnemis
Species	Caluromysiops irrupta	Eriocnemis derbyi

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-shouldered Opossum and Black-thighed Puffleg share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Black-shouldered Opossum

LC — Least Concern

Black-thighed Puffleg

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-shouldered Opossum	Black-thighed Puffleg
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-shouldered Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Black-thighed Puffleg

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Black-shouldered Opossum

The Black-shouldered Opossum (Caluromysiops irrupta) is a species in the genus Caluromysiops. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Black-thighed Puffleg

An Andean puffleg hummingbird named for the males' distinctive velvety black thighs contrasting with the characteristic white leg feather puffs, black-thighed pufflegs inhabit humid montane forest and forest edges in Ecuador and Colombia at elevations of 1,500–3,500 meters. Males display glittering green plumage with a violet-blue tail. Listed as Near Threatened due to deforestation of the Andean cloud forest, with populations declining as the specialized high-altitude forest habitat is cleared for agriculture.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia