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Coppery Brushtail Possum
Photo: C & D Frith
Australia's Wet Tropics
Rainforest Life
Coppery Brushtail Possum: (Trichosurus
vulpecula)
It is a marsupial
Dark brown coat above, and a light brown underside.
Long oval ears
Tail is bushy to its tip with a short terminal naked area beneath.
Habitat:
- Being a nocturnal animal, it spends its days in a den in a hollow dead
branch, tree trunk, fallen log or even at times on the ground.
- It is an arboreal animal, climbing trees with its sharp claws
- It travels from tree to tree across the rainforest floor
Diet:
- The brushtail possum eats a variety of leaves, especially eucalyptus,
supplemented with fruits, buds, bark and meat is eaten if offered.
Social Behaviour:
- The possum communicates by sound and scent. Deep gutteral coughs and sharp hisses
are used during the breeding season. Glands under the chin, on the chest and near the anus
mark territories of particular individuals.
Viewing Opportunities:
- Best viewing opportunity is the Crater National Park Picnic Area after dark.
- Can also be viewed, with a spotlight, on the Malanda
falls Environmental Park walking paths.
- Their growls can be heard of a night at Chambers
Wildlife Rainforest Lodges and they
occasionally visit the lodges verandah railings.
The Curtain Fig Tree and along the roadway on Thomas Road.
Additional Information:
- These are nocturnal marsupials that shelter in hollows during the day.
- They will take advantage of broken tiles, loose sheets of iron or unfinished work
in cities and towns to shelter in ceilings or between floors. To help with this problem,
the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service receives hundreds of calls each year.
- In Queensland, the brushtail possum is protected, and a permit is needed before
one can be trapped and moved.
- Sometimes a noise in the ceiling may actually be a rat, not a possum. Brushtail
possums can be easily identified by their black bushy tails, large erect ears, and
silver-grey coat. They are about the same size as a cat.
- They have scent glands on their chest and anus.
- The scent glands on their chests are used to mark out branches in their
territory.
- The noises the possums make are different to those of a rat. A rat makes a
scratching and chewing noise, whereas a possum makes a loud, heavy thumping sound when it
walks on flat surfaces. They also make growls and hisses when warning other brushtails to
stay away.
- Removing a possum simply does not work. This is as another possum from nearby
will take its place. Also, animals that have been removed generally face a slow death as
the release area is unsuitable or it is already occupied by another brushtail (which will
defend its territory vigorously). The released brushtail will usually be the possum that
dies if there is any conflict.
- For traps, sliced apple with a dash of vanilla as bait can be effective.
- After blocking a possum’s entry to a house, a wooden box or hollow log can
be hung in a nearby tree to provide the animal with a new nest.
- Possums mainly eat leaves, flowers and fruits of native plants, but also
sometimes fruits like bananas and pawpaws.
- Even though they are common, their conservation is no less important.
Coppery Brushtail Possum: (Trichosurus
vulpecula)
Brushtails are quite omnivorous; they
eat leaves, fruit and flowers. They are really the only
type of possum likely to be seen on the ground, where they may take handouts
from people. In fact, they can become so used to people that they often live in
the roofs of Australian houses.
The 'Brushtails' are probably the
most vocal of the generally quiet marsupials, and their large fox-like ears
reflect how important vocal communication is. Scent is also used, with a musky
smelling substance produced from glands near the anus (Egerton 1997), and
sometimes on the chest; thus 'brushies' tend have a particular odour.
Scripts courtesy
of Naturalist Guide Damon Ramsey
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