Epipubic bones of the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) from México

Abstract

The epipubic bones of the marsupials have been little studied and the meaning of their linear dimensions is poorly known. We therefore evaluated epipubic bone size of Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) from Mexico, and estimated their proportions relative to skull size of individuals. Results showed that males have larger skull and acetabulum size than females, epipubic bones of females are almost half the size of a female’s skull while that of the male is a little less than a third of the male cranial size. Therefore, epipubic bones are an important landmark of sexual dimorphism in D. virginiana, and our data may be useful to learn more about epipubic bones of other marsupials.