Description: An adult male Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula as found in Bushy Park Wetlands might weigh 4kg, with a head & body length of 50cm and a bushy tail 35cm long. Around Melbourne they have silver grey fur with a pale coloured belly. Habitat: The Brushtail Possum has a range which includes every capital city except Darwin. However they are most numerous in the scrub and forest along the east coast of Australia. Brushtails grow much larger in the cool temperate southern part of Australia than in the tropical north. Possums are well adapted for life in trees, their grasp on branches is further improved by having rough pads on their four feet, pointed claws on all their digits (except the big toe) and a long flexible tail which they use like a fifth limb. It is solitary and territorial, marking its territory with secretions from glands situated near the chin, chest & anus and vigorously defending its territory against intruders, first with hisses & barks and, if necessary, with tooth and claw. Each female has a territory of 1 to 4 hectares, but males usually occupy a bigger range thus overlapping the territory of other females. Food: The Brushtail Possum is attracted to urban areas for the shelter provided by household roofs and the variety of foodstuffs provided by humans in their gardens & rubbish bins. Being nocturnal they mostly feed at night and sleep during the day. In suburbs, it may eat introduced fruits and flowering shrubs, but in the wild, it feeds extensively on young eucalypt & acacia leaves with a high nutrient content, supplemented by fruits, flowers, shoots, grasses and insects. |
Breeding: Brushtail Possums prefer to make a nest in a tree-hole, but in their absence will make a nest in hollow logs, abandoned burrows, roof spaces etc. Brushtails are old enough to mate in their second year and have a gestation period of around 17 days. After mating, the male takes no further part in rearing the young and he returns to his den. One (rarely 2) young, are mostly born in the autumn with a lesser peak in spring.
As the joey's hind legs and tail haven't developed, the young possum uses its front legs to pull itself from the birth canal through the mother's fur to her forwardly directed pouch which contains two teats. Gradually the tail and back legs develop and after the 3rd month the body is covered in fur and the eyes open. After 4 months the young possum leaves the pouch and is carried around on its mother's back. Until they are weaned at 6 months, the young stick their head inside the pouch to suckle from a teat. By 9 months the baby moves about on its own and after 1 year it leaves home to find its own territory. Males have a high mortality rate, especially during the 1st year of dispersal, so they rarely reach old age of 11 years. Survival: Despite being killed by eagles, foxes, dogs, humans and bushfires, the Brushtail Possum remains abundant and they are among the most familiar of Australian marsupials. |
