Like many Australian animals, Leadbeater's Possum is endangered because of habitat loss caused by humans. The possums nest in the hollows of old trees, only in Victoria, and preferably those in excess of 150-200 years in age.
Drought and the increased number of bushfires in recent years in Victoria has reduced the numbers of such available trees, and European settlement in Victoria has certainly increased the frequency of both droughts and bushfires. Further, many of the remaining trees that are suitable are in Victoria's prime timber production area. Much of the possum's habitat is under threat from logging, salvage logging (logging regenerating trees after a bushfire), prescribed burns, and clearing access roads for fire breaks.
The Leadbeaters's Possum needs trees which connect so that it can easily move through the forest - like a highway. A road is often impassable by a Leadbeater's Possum.
A bushfire initially may initially damage the habitat for Leadbeater's Possum, but after about 5 - 10 years (or slightly more) the bushland regenerates. Whilst the habitat may return, the loss in numbers suffered by the possum when bushfires occur frequently would preclude their ability to reproduce over their losses resulting from bushfires.
Leadbeaters Possum is found in Victoria, in Australia's south. It is the state faunal emblem. It is found in mountain ash forests in the central highlands of Victoria, north-east of Melbourne. The Leadbeaters possum nests in the hollows of old trees, preferably those in excess of 150-200 years in age.
The Leadbeaters possum eats tree sap of wattle and eucalyptus trees.
They aren't threatened, but their close cousins the Leadbeaters possum and the mahogany glider are especially threatened.
Leadbeater's Possum, the delicate native possum which is the faunal emblem of Victoria, was placed on the IUCN Red list of endangered species in 2004. Leadbeater's possum was only rediscovered in 1961 after having been thought to be extinct for fifty years.
The Leadbeaters possum eats tree sap of wattle and eucalyptus trees.
Leadbeater's possum was chosen as the animal emblem for Victoria because it is completely unique to that state. It was also selected because by doing so, awareness was raised of the plight of these highly endangered animals.
Pademelon (Tasmanian)Parrot (King Parrot)Pelican (Australian Pelican)Peregrine FalconPeppered Tree FrogPenguin (Fairy Penguin)Phascogale (Red-tailed Phascogale)Pied Bat (Large-eared Pied Bat)Pilliga MousePiping Shrike (White-backed Magpie)Pipistrelle BatPlains MousePlatypusPossum (Brush Tailed Possum)Possum (Leadbeaters Possum)Possum (Mountain Pygmy Possum)Possum (Western Ring-tailed Possum)Potoroo (Gilberts Potoroo)Potoroo (Long-footed Potoroo)Prosperine Rock Wallaby
Australian Brush tailed possum, insects, disease,By Amy Clapp
The Leadbeaters possum is found only in Victoria, Australia. It lives almost exclusively in the central highlands of the state, within the tall ash forests above an elevation of 700m. They inhabit hollows in Mountain Ash, Alpine Ash and Shining Gum trees which are usually in excess of 150 years old.
The Leadbeater's Possum is the state faunal emblem of Victoria because it was thought to be extinct but was re-discovered in the Central Highlands of Victoria in 1961.It is the only mammal species that is endemic to Victoria - which means that it is the only mammal found in the state of Victoria alone and no other state in Australia or anywhere else in the world.
Some animals in Victoria province are the Leadbeaters Possum and the Helmeted Honeyeater in addition to emus, penguins, wallabies, koala, and wombats.
The Leadbeater's Possum is protected under state and federal Acts.In the state of Victoria it is classified as threatenedunder the Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) Act 1988. The Action Statement outlining conservation & management issues for Leadbeater's Possum prepared under the FFG Act was first published in 2005, but remains in draft format in 2010.In Australia it is classified as endangered under the Environment Protection & Biodiversty Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.