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Short-eared possum

Trichosurus caninus

Description:

Body length 500 mm; tail length 400 mm; weight 4 kg. Cat-sized; usually dark slate-grey, but may be pure black; short round ears; tail not bushy near tip.

Habitat:

This species is endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it ranges from south-eastern Queensland and in southern coastal New South Wales to about Newcastle. It occurs from sea level up to 1,600 m asl. It is a nocturnal, mostly scansorial species, of various tall open and closed forest types. It is most common in forested gullies containing trees with hollows

Notes:

Spotted in trees close to pool area.

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21 Comments

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks a lot mark! First time I've managed to get one on camera!

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 10 years ago

Nice series Alice.

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

:)!

WildlifeLover
WildlifeLover 10 years ago

youre welcome

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks for the favourites! I really appriciate it! :)

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks Daniele! I wasn't aware of that information before i did some research last night. Before then i would have looked at mine & said he was simply a mountain brush-tail, but now i know better! I'll take a look at yours

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 10 years ago

Great info Alice! Your lovely spotting got me to revise an older one of mines, the ID of which I was never sure of! Feel free to read through text and comments and tell me what you think!
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/630...

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

An interesting fact about these guys; They were once classed as mountain brush tailed possums however DNA testing showed they are in fact genetically different from their southern cousins in Victoria & Southern NSW. The possums found north of Sydney were re-named the Short-eared possum (Trichosurus caninus) and their southern cousins retained the name Mountain Brush Tailed possum (Trichosurus cunninghami).

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks Donia!! I guess it pays to investigate when you hear something rustling in a tree!

DoinaRussu
DoinaRussu 10 years ago

ahh...too cute!! :)

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

I wouldn't be game either & thanks Daniele!! :)

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 10 years ago

Cracking :-)

WildlifeLover
WildlifeLover 10 years ago

in that case i wouldnt be game

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thankyou Joshua :) I was delighted to find him

Josh Asel
Josh Asel 10 years ago

Beautiful spotting :)

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks! Yeah i know why they say not to ever try and touch them or pick them up, they'd rip you to pieces!

WildlifeLover
WildlifeLover 10 years ago

Lovely creature & great photos. Look at the length of those claws

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks Reza!

Reza Hashemizadeh
Reza Hashemizadeh 10 years ago

Awesome !

AliceGreenup
AliceGreenup 10 years ago

Thanks Ashley! He was the perfect model!

AshleyT
AshleyT 10 years ago

It's so cute!

AliceGreenup
Spotted by
AliceGreenup

New South Wales, Australia

Spotted on Oct 14, 2013
Submitted on Oct 14, 2013

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