Common Ringtail Possum

Description:

The common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and 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 is produced during the daytime when it is resting in a nest. This behaviour is called coprophagia and is similar to that seen in rabbits.

Habitat:

Ranges on the east coast of Australia, as well as Tasmania and a part of southwestern Australia. They generally live in temperate and tropical environments and are rare in drier environments. Ringtail possums prefer forests of dense brush, particularly eucalyptus forests. This one was spotted in my backyard. They are common in urban areas.

Notes:

I found this little fellow yesterday afternoon nesting in a tree in my yard. I spotted the tail, then found the rest... and he was fast asleep. It's not often I see 'ringies' up so close, particularly during daylight hours, although the sunlight was fading fast hence a lot of clarity has been lost due to less-than-perfect light. I'm so thrilled to have spotted this little guy :-) Notice there is no fur on the inside of the tail, no doubt for better grip. PS: THIS LITTLE POSSUM IS A SUPERSTAR!!! haha 4 seconds of fame in the PN promo video, 35 seconds in from the start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m9i8Yvv... A very happy possum :D