Common brushtail possum (Trichsurus vulpecula)
and a moderately prehensile tail, ideal for grasping on to tree limbs.
On Kangaroo Island, the common brushtail possum
apparently spends more time feeding on the ground than mainland possums do, possibly due to a lack of predators such as foxes.
Sound and scent are important to the life of a possum. Calls
range from hisses to deep guttural coughs, rising to raucous screeches when the animals are fighting, particularly in the breeding season. Glands under the chin, on the chest and near the anus are used to mark areas and define territories.
Trichosurus = hairy tail; vulpecula = little fox A wide taste in food The common brushtail possum is the most common and Possums eat a wide variety of foods, in particular the shoots familiar of the Australian possums. It has adapted to a wide range of habitats throughout the country. and leaves of native and introduced trees and shrubs. Unlike the koala however, possums are unable to exist on an After European settlement of South Australia in 1836, exclusive diet of eucalypt leaves due to the toxic effect this possums were hunted extensively for their fur. In 1924, has on their body’s metabolism. Wood Jones reported: Fruits, buds, bark, grasses, insects, eggs and young birds ‘Between one and two million pelts of Australian Opossums supplement leaves. Possums also have a fondness for are marketed every year’. rosebuds, stone fruit and garden vegetables, as well as The Kangaroo Island form is larger than the mainland clover and other pasture plants. common brushtail possum. The fur is thick and woolly, The common brushtail possum is a significant predator of tawny grey and bushy to the tip of the tail, which is naked the eggs and young chicks of the Kangaroo Island underneath. subspecies of the endangered glossy black-cockatoo and probably other Kangaroo Island birds. Life in the trees
The common brushtail possum is nocturnal and rests during Breeding the day in tree hollows, fallen logs and dense vegetation on Births occur mainly during the winter months. Females the ground. It is well adapted to climbing, with strong claws reproduce annually from 1 year of age. A single young is born 17-18 days after mating and spends 4-5 months in the pouch attached to one of two teats.
A further 1-2 months is spent suckling and riding on their mother’s back before weaning, prior to the birth of the next offspring. Mortality is high between the ages of 6-18 months as young possums disperse to establish new home ranges.
Image: Nick Pike
Management issues
The common brushtail possum has adapted well to modern conditions and survives even in urban areas, where trees are present.
These possums are abundant on Kangaroo Island. The mixture of fertilised pasture and bush remnants is ideal possum habitat. In some areas they are so numerous that farmers and gardeners regard them as a problem. However, common brushtail possums are now extinct in some areas of South Australia, including the arid regions of the north and west. Secure populations, such as those on Kangaroo Island, are therefore very important and careful management is necessary.
As with all native animals, common brushtail possums are protected under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, although permits are issued to some landholders each year for the destruction of these animals on their properties.
References
Strahan, R. (ed.) (1983). The Australian Museum Complete Book of Australian Mammals. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.
Wood Jones F. (1925). The Mammals of South Australia. Government Printer, Adelaide.
For more information Natural Resources Centre, Kangaroo Island
P (08) 8553 4444
www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/kangarooisland/