| Common Ringtail Possum[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Boddaert, 1785) |
The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. The Common Ringtail is a nocturnal herbivore, which weighs between 550 and 1100 g. It has grey fur with white patches behind the eyes and usually a cream coloured belly. It has a long prehensile tail which normally displays a distinctive white tip over 25% of its length. The back feet are syndactyl which helps it to climb.
The Common Ringtail Possum eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. This possum also consumes a special type of faeces that are produced during the daytime when it is resting in a nest. This behaviour is called coprophagia and is similar to that seen in rabbits.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pseudocheirus |
- ^ Groves, C. (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 51. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Winter, J., Menkhorst, P., Lunney, D. & van Weenen, J. (2008). Pseudocheirus peregrinus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
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