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Ringtail Possum, O'Reilly's guest house, Lamington National Park.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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Ringtail Possum, O'Reilly's guest house, Lamington National Park.
Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.
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MAMMAL FACTS |
Description
The Common Ringtail Possum is grey-brown on the back with white underneath. Immatures are reddish brown. It has a long white tipped prehensile tail which can be used carrying nesting materials as well as for gripping branches when climbing. It has as two thumbs on each front foot to help with climbing.
Size
Head and body are approximately 30-35cm. Its tail is also 30-35 cm long. Weighs about 1kg.
Habitat
Rainforests, shrubby woodlands, eucalypt forests, coastal shrub and suburban gardens. They live in trees and have adapted well to towns and cities. Builds football-sized nest in tree hollow or in dense vegetation several metres up. They sleep in nest during the day. The male and female build the nest together, carrying grass, leaves and shredded bark curled up in their tails.
Food
Mainly leaves. One of only a few marsupials able to feed on eucalypt leaves. Also eats flowers , fruit, nectar and shoots. In urban areas will eat rose buds.
Breeding
Normally rears two young When born, the joeys are hairless and about the size of a jellybean. They leave the pouch when they are about 4 months of age, traveling on the mother's back. The father also carries young on his back. This is the only species of possum where the male helps to care for the young. The young are fully weaned after 6 months of age.
Range
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Mammalia | | Order: | Diprotodontia | | Family: | Pseudocheiridae | | Genus: | Pseudocheirus | | Species: | peregrinus | | Common Name: | Common Ringtail Possum |
Relatives in same Genus
Green Ringtail Possum (P. archeri)
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