Abstract
In January 2018, a young male of Didelphis aurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826), the Brazilian common opossum, was admitted for veterinary evaluation at the Recovery Clinic of Wild Animals of Estácio de Sá University, CRAS, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, due to the presence of a partially duplicated right hind limb. After x-ray evaluation, polymelia associated with syndactyly was diagnosed. The images revealed the following alterations on the right limb: single femur with increased diameter, two tibiae, two fibulae and absence of hallux. The observed malformations were restricted to the hind right limb, which remains functional. This is the first report of such anomalies in an individual of Didelphis aurita.
Highlights
Rio de Janeiro is a city famous for its natural beauties
The Brazilian common opossum, Didelphis aurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826), is part of the wildlife biodiversity of Brazil. It occurs in the Araucaria and Atlantic Forests, the latter forest being the predominant original vegetation in the State of Rio de Janeiro. This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN classification (Astua de Moraes et al, 2015), the main reasons being mainly due to its wide distribution, presumed large population, tolerance to habitat modification, occurrence in several protected areas and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category (Astua de Moraes et al, 2015)
Case History In January 2018, a young male of Didelphis aurita was admitted at the Rehabilitation Centre of University Estácio de Sá, Clínica de Recuperação de Animais Silvestres (CRAS), for veterinary evaluation due to the presence of a partially duplicated right hind limb (Figures 1 and 2)
Summary
Rio de Janeiro is a city famous for its natural beauties. Considering the environment of its metropolitan region, many officially protected areas are continuously threatened by the expanding surrounding limits of densely populated urban areas. The Brazilian common opossum, Didelphis aurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826), is part of the wildlife biodiversity of Brazil It occurs in the Araucaria and Atlantic Forests, the latter forest being the predominant original vegetation in the State of Rio de Janeiro. This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN classification (Astua de Moraes et al, 2015), the main reasons being mainly due to its wide distribution, presumed large population, tolerance to habitat modification, occurrence in several protected areas and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category (Astua de Moraes et al, 2015). To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first report of such anomalies in that species
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