caa a22 4500 378912674 CHVBK 20180305123545.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161128e20040701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1515/mamm.2004.004 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)gruyter-10.1515/mamm.2004.004 Comparative gross morphology of the digestive tract in ten Didelphidae marsupial species [Elektronische Daten] [R.T. Santori, D. Astua De Moraes, Rui Cerqueira] Natural diets of Didelphidae species vary in the amounts of invertebrates, fruits and small vertebrates eaten. We investigated the digestive morphology of ten species of didelphid marsupials varying in food habits. The purpose was to describe and to compare the shape and relative size of the digestive tract portions among species studied and relate them to food habits. The form of the gastrointestinal tract in this family is simple, with a unilocular stomach, small intestine, large intestine and caecum. Caluromys philander was the species with highest association between digestive tract measurements and its frugivorous habits. However, although its caecum is morphologically distinct from the other species, the relative length is small when compared to the more faunivorous Metachirus nudicaudatus. Stomach length of Philander frenata is related to a more carnivorous diet, while large intestine length of Didelphis aurita is related to its omnivore diet. The digestive tract measurements of the other species appear to be related with a variable degree of morphological differentiation from a generalized form related to omnivory toward a more carnivorous diet. Great caecum relative size distinguished Metachirus nudicaudatus from the most other species and its relationship with diet is not well understood. Copyright 2004, Walter de Gruyter Didelphidae nationallicence digestive morphology nationallicence digestive tract nationallicence food habits nationallicence marsupials nationallicence Santori R.T. 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut Moraes D. Astua De 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut Cerqueira Rui 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut Mammalia Walter de Gruyter 68/1(2004-07-01), 27-36 0025-1461 68:1<27 2004 68 mamm https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2004.004 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.2004.004 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Santori R.T. 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Moraes D. Astua De 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Cerqueira Rui 1. Laboratório de Vertebrados. Departamento de Ecologia. Universidade Federaldo Rio de Janeiro. CP 68020. CEP 21941-590. Ilha do Fundão. RJ. (Brasil) aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Mammalia Walter de Gruyter 68/1(2004-07-01), 27-36 0025-1461 68:1<27 2004 68 mamm CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-gruyter