Black-shouldered Opossum vs Leopard

Caluromysiops irrupta compared with Panthera pardus

Key Differences

• Black-shouldered Opossum is Least Concern while Leopard is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-shouldered Opossum	Leopard
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Didelphidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Caluromysiops	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Caluromysiops irrupta	Panthera pardus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-shouldered Opossum and Leopard share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Black-shouldered Opossum

LC — Least Concern

Leopard

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-shouldered Opossum	Leopard
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.9 m
Average Weight	—	60.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-shouldered Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Leopard

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across China, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Leopard

Highly adaptable big cat with the widest geographic range of any felid, found across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia in habitats from rainforest to desert. Solitary and largely nocturnal, leopards are powerful climbers that cache prey in trees. Melanistic individuals — black panthers — are common in dense forest populations. Listed as Vulnerable globally.