Ghosts in the darkness: studying the ecology of pallid fat-tailed opossums

Abstract

When I moved to Mendoza Province (Argentina), more than 10 years ago, I never thought I would be fascinated by such a little creature. Actually, I didn´t even know this mouse-sized marsupial inhabited the desert landscapes of Argentina. But with their large ears and big and expressive eyes, once I was introduced to the species, I was quickly hooked. I started my PhD with the main objective of studying several aspects of Thylamys pallidior ecology: where they live (habitat use), what they eat (foraging strategies), how their population is structured throughout the year. But first I had to understand why they had been so challenging to study for other scientists.