Handley s Slender Opossum vs Long-tailed Sylph

Marmosops handleyi compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Handley s Slender Opossum is Critically Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Handley s Slender Opossum	Long-tailed Sylph
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	Marmosops	Aglaiocercus
Species	Marmosops handleyi	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Handley s Slender Opossum and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Handley s Slender Opossum

CR — Critically Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Handley s Slender Opossum	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Handley s Slender Opossum

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Colombia. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Long-tailed Sylph

One of the most strikingly ornamented hummingbirds, male long-tailed sylphs have iridescent green plumage and dramatically elongated, ribbon-like outer tail feathers reaching up to 22 cm — over three times the body length. Found in Andean cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela, they inhabit humid montane forest between 1,400–2,800 meters elevation. Males perform elaborate display flights to attract females. Their extravagant tails are a classic example of sexual selection via female preference.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia