Common brushtail possum

Common brushtail possum[1]
At Austins Ferry, Tasmania
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Phalangeridae
Genus: Trichosurus
Species:
T. vulpecula
Binomial name
Trichosurus vulpecula
(Kerr, 1792)[3]
Subspecies

T. v. vulpecula (South-eastern common brushtail possum and central brushtail possum)
T. v. arnhemensis (Northern brushtail possum)
T. v. eburacensis (Cape York brushtail possum)
T. v. johnsoni (Coppery brushtail possum)
T. v. fuliginosus (Tasmanian brushtail possum)
T. v. hypoleucus (South-western brushtail possum or Koomal)

Common brushtail possum native range

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox", previously in the genus Phalangista[4]) is a nocturnal, semiarboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia and invasive in New Zealand, and the second-largest of the possums.

Like most possums, the common brushtail possum is nocturnal. It is mainly a folivore, but has been known to eat small mammals such as rats. In most Australian habitats, eucalyptus leaves are a significant part of the diet, but rarely the sole item eaten. Its tail is prehensile and naked on its lower underside. The four colour variations are silver-grey, brown, black, and gold.[5]

It is the Australian marsupial most often seen by city dwellers, as it is one of few that thrive in cities and a wide range of natural and human-modified environments. Around human habitations, common brushtails are inventive and determined foragers with a liking for fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and kitchen raids. Its once vast distribution alone has been greatly affected by drought, epizootic disease and intrusion of invasive mammals into its habitat.[6]

The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s to establish a fur industry, but in the mild subtropical climate of New Zealand, and with few to no natural predators, it thrived to the extent that it became a major agricultural and conservation pest.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference msw3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Morris, K.; Woinarski, J.; Friend, T.; Foulkes, J.; Kerle, A.; Ellis, M. (2016). "Trichosurus vulpecula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T40585A21952080. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T40585A21952080.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Linné1792 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference hydroponicsearch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference dpiw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ I Abbott (2012). "Original distribution of Trichosurus vulpecula (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae) in Western Australia, with particular reference to occurrence outside the southwest". Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 95: 83–93.