Urban Observation: Ringtail Possum

In Port Phillip City, this arboreal individual has found an urban alternative to climb!

The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is a marsupial species, widely distributed across its native continent of Australia. This animal is arboreal and traditionally could be found in forests and woodlands primarily on the eastern coast of Australia. Currently, ringtail possums are also a very common presence in suburban and urban areas of their range.

This species has a variable diet, including both native and introduced vegetation. This flexibility in diet may have increased the possum’s ability to succeed in new environments, such as new cities and suburban neighborhoods. Due to their arboreal nature, ringtail possum populations have been negatively influenced by deforestation in Australia and may have increased the need to settle in urban areas. However, clearly, some individuals have managed to seek out anthropogenic climbing alternatives!

A fun fact about the common ringtail possum is they perform a behavior known as caecotrophy! This process is also common to rabbits, some rodent species, and one primate species (Lepilemur mustelinus). These species produce special feces called cecotropes through hindgut fermentation. These feces are subsequently re-ingested to absorb additional nutrients from the original food intake.

Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, Tweet at us, and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!

References

Eastern Ringtail Possum. The Australian Museum. (2022, April 21). https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/common-ringtail-possum/

Welsh, P. 2002. “Pseudocheirus peregrinus” (Online), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed June 26, 2023 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pseudocheirus_peregrinus/

Featured image: © Oscar Dove, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

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Olivia Weklar

Junior Laboratory Associate at New York University

Olivia is a lab technician in Kristin's lab at NYU. She loves all urban creatures, big and small!

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