Eastern pygmy possum

Cercartetus nanus

TAXONOMY

Cercartetus nanus (Desmarest, 1818), Tasmania, Australia. Two subspecies.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Phalanger-loir de l'Est; German: Östlicher Bilchbeutler.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Length 7–7.8 in (18–20 cm). Brownish fur with gray belly. Base of tail thickened with storage fat. Tongue long, brush-tipped.

DISTRIBUTION

East and southeast of Australia, and Tasmania.

HABITAT

Heathland and dry and wet sclerophyll forest.

BEHAVIOR

Mostly solitary. Constructs spherical nests of leaves and bark in tree-hollows.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Feeds on nectar, pollen, and insects.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

One to three young, twice per year. May be promiscuous or polygamous.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.