Possum

For the Western Hemisphere marsupial, see opossum.


Possums



Common brushtail possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula)


Scientific classification





Kingdom:

Animalia



Phylum:

Chordata



Class:

Mammalia



Infraclass:

Marsupialia



Order:

Diprotodontia



Suborder:

Phalangeriformes
Szalay in Archer, 1982




Superfamilies and Families



Phalangeroidea

Burramyidae
Phalangeridae
Petauroidea

Pseudocheiridae
Petauridae
Tarsipedidae
Acrobatidae


Possum is the common name for any of the small- to medium-sized arboreal marsupials comprising the mammalian suborder Phalangeriformes of the order Diprotodontia and native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi (and introduced to New Zealand). Possums are characterized by nocturnal and omnivorous behaviors, a long tail, woolly fur, and syndactylous hind feet (united by skin at the top joint but divided at the claws). Some limit the name possum to the members of the family Phalangeridae, a group that also includes mammals with the common name of cuscus. In all, there are about 64 species in Phalangeriformes, spread over six families.
A similar group of marsupial mammals belonging to the order Didelphimorphia, and found in the Western Hemisphere, are known by the common name of opossum. The term possum also is used in North America as a diminutive for the Virginia opossum.
In their natural environment, possums provide important ecological values as part of food chains and in seed dispersal. Possums consume such foods as plant matter (leaves, fruit, flowers), insects, and bird eggs, and are consumed by such carnivores as owls, dingoes, pythons, and foxes. For humans, they also were an important part of the Aboriginal diet and used for Aboriginal clothing.
However, the introduction of the common brushtail possum to New Zealand, in an effort to establish a fur industry, has been an ecological disaster, as they have no natural predators. As an invasive species in New Zealand, their population numbers have exploded, causing damage to the native flora and fauna and serving as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis.

Contents

1 Overview and description
2 Interaction with humans
3 Introduction into New Zealand
4 Classification
5 References
6 Credits


Overview and description
Phalangeriformes is one of three suborders within the order Diprotodontia. In addition to the possums, the order Diprotodontia includes the kangaroos, wallabies, koala, wombats, and many others. Extant diprotodonts are restricted to Australasia. There are two key anatomical features that, in combination, identify diprotodontia. Members of the order are, first, diprotodont (meaning "two front teeth"): they have a pair of large, procumbent incisors on the lower jaw, a common feature of many early groups of mammals and mammaliforms. The diprotodont jaw is short, usually with three pairs of upper incisors and no lower canines. The second trait distinguishing diprotodonts is syndactyly, a fusing of the second and third digits of the foot up to the base of the claws, which leaves the claws themselves separate.
The possums, the common name for members of Phalangeriformes, resemble in appearance the opossums of the Americas, and it is from these that their name is derived. (The name is from Algonquian wapathemwa, not Greek or Latin, so the plural is possums, not possa.) (Possum is also used in North America as a short form of opossum.) The Western Hemisphere opossums, of which there are more than 60 species, are characterized by a long, naked tail; a long, pointed snout; opposable thumbs in the hands and feet; and ears that are naked (Grzimek et al. 2004).
Possums are small marsupials with brown or gray fur, ranging in size and weight from the length of a finger or 170 grams (6 ounces) (pygmy possums and wrist-winged gliders), to the length of 120 centimeters (four feet) or 14.5 kilograms (32 pounds) (brushtails and ringtails). In general, though, the larger possums are about the same size as a well-fed domestic cat. The two most common species of possums, the common brushtail and common ringtail, are also among the largest. The possum's rank odor is due to its large musk glands located behind each ear.
All possums are nocturnal and omnivorous, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that squirrels fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.
The Phalangeriformes suborder is divided into two superfamilies, Petauroidea (ringtail possums and gliders) and Phalangeroidea (brushtail possums, cuscuses, and pygmy possums). There are four families in the Petauroidea superfamily: Acrobatidae (feathertail gliders and pyrmy gliders), Petauridae (gliders, Leadbeater's possum, and striped possum), Pseudocheiridae (ringtail possums), and Tarsipedidae (honey possum). There are two families in the Phalangeroidea superfamily: Burramyidae (pygmy possums) and Phalangeridae (brushtail possums and cuscuses) (Myers et al. 2008).
Cuscus is the common name generally given to the species within four genera of Phalangeridae: Ailurops, Phalanger, Spilocuscus, and Strigocuscus.

Interaction with humans
The possum has been a part of Australian culture and folklore since the original indigenous inhabitants of the country. Australian Aborigines once used possum hides while playing the traditional game of Marn Grook. Possum-skin cloaks were important clothing for Aborigines from the south-east, as well as being important clan heirlooms.
Possums are commonly found in suburban areas, where they are often considered pests owing to their habit of eating fruit, vegetables, flowers and tender young shoots from gardens, and nesting in roofs. The loud hissing, crackling territorial call of the male common brushtail may also be a problem for suburban residents. Natural deterrents that play upon the possum's acute sense of smell are often employed to discourage them. These include cloves of garlic, camphor, or naphthalene.
As a native species in Australia, possums are protected by Australian regulations, even when they reside in urban neighborhoods, and cannot be baited. They cannot be killed as pests, to the irritation of many homeowners, and if captured, the regulations stipulate that they must be released within a small radius of that locality, since they are territorial creatures. Preventative measures such as blocking off their access to the roof spaces or building a possum nesting box for an alternative home are instead recommended.
Although the common brushtail and (to a lesser extent) ringtail possums have adapted well to the urban environment, many of the lesser-known species are reduced in number, threatened, or endangered.

Introduction into New Zealand
The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand by European settlers in an attempt to establish a fur industry.
They soon escaped into the wild where they have thrived as an invasive species with great numbers: around 60 million individuals are estimated to live in New Zealand. There are no native predators of the possum in New Zealand. There have been numerous attempts to eradicate them because of the damage they do to native trees and wildlife, as well as acting as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis. For New Zealand, the introduction of possums has resulted in as much of an ecological disaster as the introduction of rabbits has been in Australia.

Classification
About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders: the Vombatiformes (wombats and the koala, four species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums), and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies, and the musky rat-kangaroo).

Suborder PHALANGERIFORMES: possums, gliders, and allies
Superfamily Phalangeroidea
Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
Genus Burramys
Mountain pygmy possum, Burramys parvus
Genus Cercartetus
Long-tailed pygmy possum, Cercartetus caudatus
Southwestern pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus
Tasmanian pygmy possum, Cercartetus lepidus
Eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus
Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
Subfamily Ailuropinae
Genus Ailurops
Talaud bear cuscus, Ailurops melanotis
Sulawesi bear cuscus, Ailurops ursinus
Subfamily Phalangerinae
Tribe Phalangerini
Genus Phalanger
Gebe cuscus, Phalanger alexandrae
Mountain cuscus, Phalanger carmelitae
Ground cuscus, Phalanger gymnotis
Eastern common cuscus, Phalanger intercastellanus
Woodlark cuscus, Phalanger lullulae
Blue-eyed cuscus, Phalanger matabiru
Telefomin cuscus, Phalanger matanim
Southern common cuscus, Phalanger mimicus
Northern common cuscus, Phalanger orientalis
Ornate cuscus, Phalanger ornatus
Rothschild's cuscus, Phalanger rothschildi
Silky cuscus, Phalanger sericeus
Stein's cuscus, Phalanger vestitus
Genus Spilocuscus
Admiralty Island cuscus, Spilocuscus kraemeri
Common spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus maculatus
Waigeou cuscus, Spilocuscus papuensis
Black-spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus rufoniger
Blue-eyed spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus wilsoni
Tribe Trichosurini
Genus Strigocuscus
Sulawesi dwarf cuscus, Strigocuscus celebensis
Banggai cuscus, Strigocuscus pelegensis
Genus Trichosurus
Northern brushtail possum, Trichosurus arnhemensis
Short-eared possum, Trichosurus caninus
Mountain brushtail possum, Trichosurus cunninghami
Coppery brushtail possum, Trichosurus johnstonii
Common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula
Genus Wyulda
Scaly-tailed possum, Wyulda squamicaudata
Superfamily Petauroidea
Family Pseudocheiridae
Subfamily Hemibelideinae
Genus Hemibelideus
Lemur-like ringtail possum, Hemibelideus lemuroides
Genus Petauroides
Greater glider, Petauroides volans
Subfamily Pseudocheirinae
Genus Petropseudes
Rock-haunting ringtail possum, Petropseudes dahli
Genus Pseudocheirus
Common ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Genus Pseudochirulus
Lowland ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus canescens
Weyland ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus caroli
Cinereus ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus cinereus
Painted ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus forbesi
Herbert river ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus herbertensis
Masked ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus larvatus
Pygmy ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus mayeri
Vogelkop ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus schlegeli
Subfamily Pseudochiropinae
Genus Pseudochirops
D'Albertis' ringtail possum, Pseudochirops albertisii
Green ringtail possum, Pseudochirops archeri
Plush-coated ringtail possum, Pseudochirops corinnae
Reclusive ringtail possum, Pseudochirops coronatus
Coppery ringtail possum, Pseudochirops cupreus
Family Petauridae
Genus Dactylopsila
Great-tailed triok, Dactylopsila megalura
Long-fingered triok, Dactylopsila palpator
Tate's triok, Dactylopsila tatei
Striped possum, Dactylopsila trivirgata
Genus Gymnobelideus
Leadbeater's possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri
Genus Petaurus
Northern glider, Petaurus abidi
Yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis
Biak glider, Petaurus biacensis
Sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps
Mahogany glider, Petaurus gracilis
Squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis
Family Tarsipedidae
Genus Tarsipes
Honey possum or Noolbenger, Tarsipes rostratus
Family Acrobatidae
Genus Acrobates
Feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus
Genus Distoechurus
Feather-tailed possum Distoechurus pennatus
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
Groves, C. 2005a. Superfamily Phalangeroidea. Pages 44-49 in D. E. Wilson, and D. M.Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801882214.
Groves, C. 2005b. Superfamily Petauroidea. Pages 50-56 in D. E. Wilson, and D. M.Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801882214.
Grzimek, B., D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, and M. C. McDade. 2004. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Detroit: Thomson-Gale, ISBN 0307394913.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). 2006. Phalangeriformes Szalay in Archer (ed.), 1982 ITIS Taxonomic Serial No.: 709306. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2008. Suborder Phalangeriformes (possums and cuscuses). Animal Diversity Web (online). Retrieved August 29, 2008.
Myers, P. 2002. Phalangeridae. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved August 29, 2008.

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