Possum

For the Western Hemisphere marsupial, see opossum.

Possums

Common brushtail possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Suborder:	Phalangeriformes Szalay in Archer, 1982

Superfamilies and Families

Phalangeroidea

Burramyidae
Phalangeridae

Petauroidea

Pseudocheiridae
Petauridae
Tarsipedidae
Acrobatidae

Possum is the common name for any of the small- to medium-sized arboreal marsupials comprising the mammalian suborder Phalangeriformes of the order Diprotodontia and native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi (and introduced to New Zealand). Possums are characterized by nocturnal and omnivorous behaviors, a long tail, woolly fur, and syndactylous hind feet (united by skin at the top joint but divided at the claws). Some limit the name possum to the members of the family Phalangeridae, a group that also includes mammals with the common name of cuscus. In all, there are about 64 species in Phalangeriformes, spread over six families.

A similar group of marsupial mammals belonging to the order Didelphimorphia, and found in the Western Hemisphere, are known by the common name of opossum. The term possum also is used in North America as a diminutive for the Virginia opossum.

In their natural environment, possums provide important ecological values as part of food chains and in seed dispersal. Possums consume such foods as plant matter (leaves, fruit, flowers), insects, and bird eggs, and are consumed by such carnivores as owls, dingoes, pythons, and foxes. For humans, they also were an important part of the Aboriginal diet and used for Aboriginal clothing.

However, the introduction of the common brushtail possum to New Zealand, in an effort to establish a fur industry, has been an ecological disaster, as they have no natural predators. As an invasive species in New Zealand, their population numbers have exploded, causing damage to the native flora and fauna and serving as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis.

Overview and description

Phalangeriformes is one of three suborders within the order Diprotodontia. In addition to the possums, the order Diprotodontia includes the kangaroos, wallabies, koala, wombats, and many others. Extant diprotodonts are restricted to Australasia. There are two key anatomical features that, in combination, identify diprotodontia. Members of the order are, first, diprotodont (meaning "two front teeth"): they have a pair of large, procumbent incisors on the lower jaw, a common feature of many early groups of mammals and mammaliforms. The diprotodont jaw is short, usually with three pairs of upper incisors and no lower canines. The second trait distinguishing diprotodonts is syndactyly, a fusing of the second and third digits of the foot up to the base of the claws, which leaves the claws themselves separate.

The possums, the common name for members of Phalangeriformes, resemble in appearance the opossums of the Americas, and it is from these that their name is derived. (The name is from Algonquian wapathemwa, not Greek or Latin, so the plural is possums, not possa.) (Possum is also used in North America as a short form of opossum.) The Western Hemisphere opossums, of which there are more than 60 species, are characterized by a long, naked tail; a long, pointed snout; opposable thumbs in the hands and feet; and ears that are naked (Grzimek et al. 2004).

Possums are small marsupials with brown or gray fur, ranging in size and weight from the length of a finger or 170 grams (6 ounces) (pygmy possums and wrist-winged gliders), to the length of 120 centimeters (four feet) or 14.5 kilograms (32 pounds) (brushtails and ringtails). In general, though, the larger possums are about the same size as a well-fed domestic cat. The two most common species of possums, the common brushtail and common ringtail, are also among the largest. The possum's rank odor is due to its large musk glands located behind each ear.

All possums are nocturnal and omnivorous, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that squirrels fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.

The Phalangeriformes suborder is divided into two superfamilies, Petauroidea (ringtail possums and gliders) and Phalangeroidea (brushtail possums, cuscuses, and pygmy possums). There are four families in the Petauroidea superfamily: Acrobatidae (feathertail gliders and pyrmy gliders), Petauridae (gliders, Leadbeater's possum, and striped possum), Pseudocheiridae (ringtail possums), and Tarsipedidae (honey possum). There are two families in the Phalangeroidea superfamily: Burramyidae (pygmy possums) and Phalangeridae (brushtail possums and cuscuses) (Myers et al. 2008).

Cuscus is the common name generally given to the species within four genera of Phalangeridae: Ailurops, Phalanger, Spilocuscus, and Strigocuscus.

Interaction with humans

The possum has been a part of Australian culture and folklore since the original indigenous inhabitants of the country. Australian Aborigines once used possum hides while playing the traditional game of Marn Grook. Possum-skin cloaks were important clothing for Aborigines from the south-east, as well as being important clan heirlooms.

Possums are commonly found in suburban areas, where they are often considered pests owing to their habit of eating fruit, vegetables, flowers and tender young shoots from gardens, and nesting in roofs. The loud hissing, crackling territorial call of the male common brushtail may also be a problem for suburban residents. Natural deterrents that play upon the possum's acute sense of smell are often employed to discourage them. These include cloves of garlic, camphor, or naphthalene.

As a native species in Australia, possums are protected by Australian regulations, even when they reside in urban neighborhoods, and cannot be baited. They cannot be killed as pests, to the irritation of many homeowners, and if captured, the regulations stipulate that they must be released within a small radius of that locality, since they are territorial creatures. Preventative measures such as blocking off their access to the roof spaces or building a possum nesting box for an alternative home are instead recommended.

Although the common brushtail and (to a lesser extent) ringtail possums have adapted well to the urban environment, many of the lesser-known species are reduced in number, threatened, or endangered.

Introduction into New Zealand

The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand by European settlers in an attempt to establish a fur industry.

They soon escaped into the wild where they have thrived as an invasive species with great numbers: around 60 million individuals are estimated to live in New Zealand. There are no native predators of the possum in New Zealand. There have been numerous attempts to eradicate them because of the damage they do to native trees and wildlife, as well as acting as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis. For New Zealand, the introduction of possums has resulted in as much of an ecological disaster as the introduction of rabbits has been in Australia.

Classification

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders: the Vombatiformes (wombats and the koala, four species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums), and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies, and the musky rat-kangaroo).

Suborder PHALANGERIFORMES: possums, gliders, and allies
- Superfamily Phalangeroidea
  - Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
    - Genus Burramys
      - Mountain pygmy possum, Burramys parvus
    - Genus Cercartetus
      - Long-tailed pygmy possum, Cercartetus caudatus
      - Southwestern pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus
      - Tasmanian pygmy possum, Cercartetus lepidus
      - Eastern pygmy possum, Cercartetus nanus
  - Family Phalangeridae: brushtail possums and cuscuses
    - Subfamily Ailuropinae
      - Genus Ailurops
        Talaud bear cuscus, Ailurops melanotis
        
        Sulawesi bear cuscus, Ailurops ursinus
    - Subfamily Phalangerinae
      - Tribe Phalangerini
        Genus Phalanger
        Gebe cuscus, Phalanger alexandrae
        
        Mountain cuscus, Phalanger carmelitae
        
        Ground cuscus, Phalanger gymnotis
        
        Eastern common cuscus, Phalanger intercastellanus
        
        Woodlark cuscus, Phalanger lullulae
        
        Blue-eyed cuscus, Phalanger matabiru
        
        Telefomin cuscus, Phalanger matanim
        
        Southern common cuscus, Phalanger mimicus
        
        Northern common cuscus, Phalanger orientalis
        
        Ornate cuscus, Phalanger ornatus
        
        Rothschild's cuscus, Phalanger rothschildi
        
        Silky cuscus, Phalanger sericeus
        
        Stein's cuscus, Phalanger vestitus
        
        Genus Spilocuscus
        Admiralty Island cuscus, Spilocuscus kraemeri
        
        Common spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus maculatus
        
        Waigeou cuscus, Spilocuscus papuensis
        
        Black-spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus rufoniger
        
        Blue-eyed spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus wilsoni
      - Tribe Trichosurini
        Genus Strigocuscus
        Sulawesi dwarf cuscus, Strigocuscus celebensis
        
        Banggai cuscus, Strigocuscus pelegensis
        
        Genus Trichosurus
        Northern brushtail possum, Trichosurus arnhemensis
        
        Short-eared possum, Trichosurus caninus
        
        Mountain brushtail possum, Trichosurus cunninghami
        
        Coppery brushtail possum, Trichosurus johnstonii
        
        Common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula
        
        Genus Wyulda
        Scaly-tailed possum, Wyulda squamicaudata
- Superfamily Petauroidea
  - Family Pseudocheiridae
    - Subfamily Hemibelideinae
      - Genus Hemibelideus
        Lemur-like ringtail possum, Hemibelideus lemuroides
      - Genus Petauroides
        Greater glider, Petauroides volans
    - Subfamily Pseudocheirinae
      - Genus Petropseudes
        Rock-haunting ringtail possum, Petropseudes dahli
      - Genus Pseudocheirus
        Common ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus
      - Genus Pseudochirulus
        Lowland ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus canescens
        
        Weyland ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus caroli
        
        Cinereus ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus cinereus
        
        Painted ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus forbesi
        
        Herbert river ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus herbertensis
        
        Masked ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus larvatus
        
        Pygmy ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus mayeri
        
        Vogelkop ringtail possum, Pseudochirulus schlegeli
    - Subfamily Pseudochiropinae
      - Genus Pseudochirops
        D'Albertis' ringtail possum, Pseudochirops albertisii
        
        Green ringtail possum, Pseudochirops archeri
        
        Plush-coated ringtail possum, Pseudochirops corinnae
        
        Reclusive ringtail possum, Pseudochirops coronatus
        
        Coppery ringtail possum, Pseudochirops cupreus
  - Family Petauridae
    - Genus Dactylopsila
      - Great-tailed triok, Dactylopsila megalura
      - Long-fingered triok, Dactylopsila palpator
      - Tate's triok, Dactylopsila tatei
      - Striped possum, Dactylopsila trivirgata
    - Genus Gymnobelideus
      - Leadbeater's possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri
    - Genus Petaurus
      - Northern glider, Petaurus abidi
      - Yellow-bellied glider, Petaurus australis
      - Biak glider, Petaurus biacensis
      - Sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps
      - Mahogany glider, Petaurus gracilis
      - Squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis
  - Family Tarsipedidae
    - Genus Tarsipes
      - Honey possum or Noolbenger, Tarsipes rostratus
  - Family Acrobatidae
    - Genus Acrobates
      - Feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus
    - Genus Distoechurus
      - Feather-tailed possum Distoechurus pennatus

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Groves, C. 2005a. Superfamily Phalangeroidea. Pages 44-49 in D. E. Wilson, and D. M.Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801882214.

Groves, C. 2005b. Superfamily Petauroidea. Pages 50-56 in D. E. Wilson, and D. M.Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801882214.

Grzimek, B., D. G. Kleiman, V. Geist, and M. C. McDade. 2004. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Detroit: Thomson-Gale, ISBN 0307394913.

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). 2006. Phalangeriformes Szalay in Archer (ed.), 1982 ITIS Taxonomic Serial No.: 709306. Retrieved August 29, 2008.

Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2008. Suborder Phalangeriformes (possums and cuscuses). Animal Diversity Web (online). Retrieved August 29, 2008.

Myers, P. 2002. Phalangeridae. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved August 29, 2008.

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