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Picture thanks to Ben Hudson | The diet of Brushtail possums consist mainly of leaves, especially eucalypt leaves and also native fruits, buds and bark in the forests. They also eat a variety of other food in urban areas where they rummage in gardens and exposed rubbish bins of home owners.
The major breeding season of the possum seems to be in autumn and the minor season of spring. Females usually begin reproducing at the age of one year.
The young can spend up to 4-5 months in the mother's pouch, attached to one of the two teats, where it develops quite quickly. 1-2 months are then spent suckling and riding about on the mother's back.
Usually after this weaning period, it leaves the mother and makes its own way into the world. Even though possums are at the mercy of being killed by foxes, dogs, humans and bushfires, they are still large in numbers and they are amongst the most familiar and popular Australian mammals.
The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small marsupial originally native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania.
[edit] Physical description The Sugar Glider is around 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 7.5 inches) in length, with a tail longer than the body and almost as thick as a human thumb, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz). The fur is generally pearl grey, with black and cream patches on the underbelly and black or grey ears. Other colour variations include leucistic and albino recessive traits. The tail tapers only moderately and the last quarter of it is black, often with a dark tip. The muzzle is short and rounded. Northern forms tend to be brown coloured rather than grey and, as predicted by Bergmann's Rule, smaller.  Sugar Glider hanging from a tree The most distinctive features of its anatomy are the twin skin membranes called patagia which extend from the fifth finger of the forelimb back to the first toe of the hind foot. These are inconspicuous when the Sugar Glider is at rest – it merely looks a little flabby – but immediately obvious when it takes flight. The membranes are used to glide between trees: when fully extended they form an aerodynamic surface the size of a large handkerchief. Membranes are also used to gather food while hunting. The membrane has a thin sheet of fur surrounding it, but it is usually pink in colour. The gliding membranes are primarily used as an efficient way to get to food resources. They may also, as a secondary function, help the Sugar Glider escape predators like goannas, introduced foxes and cats, and the marsupial carnivores, such as quolls, the Kowari, mulgaras, and antechinuses that foxes, cats, and dingos largely supplanted. The ability to glide from tree to tree is clearly of little value with regard to the Sugar Glider's avian predators, however, in particular owls and kookaburras. The sugar gliders membrane allows it to glide for considerable distance. When landing, they catch on to branches with their sharp feet and opposable thumbs. Although its aerial adaptation looks rather clumsy in comparison to the highly specialised limbs of birds and bats, the Sugar Glider can glide for a surprisingly long distance — flights have been measured at over 50 metres (55 yd) — and steer effectively by curving one patagium or the other. It uses its hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree, and when about 3 metres (3 yd) from the destination tree trunk, brings its hind legs up close to the body and swoops upwards to make contact with all four limbs together.
[edit] Taxonomy There are seven subspecies of P. breviceps:
[edit] Habitat  Sugar Glider, climbing down from a plant In the wilds of its native habitat, the Sugar Glider is a tree dwelling creature, often living in groups of 15 to 30 (seven adults and their young).[3] It is active by night when it hunts for insects and small vertebrates and feeds on the sweet sap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. The Sugar Glider is named for its preference for sweet foods and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel.[4][5] The Sugar Glider can occupy any area where there are tree hollows for shelter and sufficient food. Its diet varies considerably with both geography and the changing seasons, but the main items are the sap of acacias and certain eucalyptus, nectar, pollen, and arthropods. It is difficult to see in the wild, being small, wary, and nocturnal, but a sure sign of its presence is the stripping of bark and tooth marks left in the soft, green shoots of acacia trees. In suitable habitats it is common, often reaching densities of 1 per 1,000 square metres provided that there are tree hollows available for shelter. It lives in groups of up to seven adults, plus the current season's young, all sharing a nest and defending their territory, an example of helping at the nest. Adult males mark the territory with saliva and with a scent produced by separate glands on the forehead and chest, and also mark members of the group with this scent. Visitors which lack the appropriate scent marking are expelled violently. The dominant male mates more frequently with the female of the group than the other males, and does most of the scent marking. When an adult member of the group dies, it is normally replaced either by one of the group's own offspring if female, but by an outsider if male. In the more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July). In the north, there seems to be no particular breeding season. Two young per female is typical; they remain in the pouch for about 70 days, and after leaving it stays inside the nest for another 40 or 50 days, then begin to forage outside, usually under the care of the mother. The young are normally ejected from the group territory at 7 to 10 months of age. Sometimes they form new groups if an area is vacant, but competition for territory is fierce and not many survive the first months of independent life. In captivity, they may live up to fifteen years.
[edit] Conservation status Unlike many native Australian animals, particularly smaller ones, the Sugar Glider is not endangered.[6] Despite the massive loss of natural habitat in Australia over the last 200 years, it is adaptable and capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush, particularly if it does not have to cross large expanses of clear-felled land to reach them. Several close relatives, however, are endangered, particularly Leadbeater's Possum and the Mahogany Glider (which, to the non-expert, looks almost exactly like a Sugar Glider). The Sugar Glider is protected by law in Australia, where it is illegal to keep them without a permit,[7] or to capture or sell them without a licence (which is usually only issued for research).
[edit] Sugar Gliders as pets Outside Australia, the Sugar Glider is a popular domestic pet because of its lively and inquisitive nature; with plenty of attention (a minimum of 1-2 hours of daily human interaction), it bonds well to human companions. Where legal, the Sugar Glider is not difficult to breed in captivity under the right conditions. Sugar Gliders are not exotic animals as defined by the USDA [1] and their breeding is regulated by the USDA. As of March 2009, they are legal to own as domestic house pets in the U.S.A in 47 of the 48 contiguous states[8], with California being the only exception. In Pennsylvania, they are legal as solely house pets, but breeders require a special permit and there are restrictions on the sale. However, individual U.S. cities may prohibit the keeping of Sugar Gliders. [9]
[edit] References
Bandicoot From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A bandicoot is any of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. The word bandicoot is an anglicised form of the Telugu word pandi-kokku, (loosely, pig-rat) which originally referred to the unrelated Indian Bandicoot Rat. The other two species of peramelemorphs are the bilbies. Classification within the Peramelemorphia used to be simple: there were thought to be two families in the order — the short-legged and mostly herbivorous bandicoots, and the longer-legged, more nearly carnivorous bilbies. In recent years, however, it has become clear that the situation is more complex. First, the bandicoots of the New Guinean and far-northern Australian rainforests were deemed distinct from all other bandicoots, and these were grouped together in the separate family Peroryctidae. More recently, the bandicoot families were reunited in Peramelidae, with the New Guinean species split into four genera in two subfamilies, Peroryctinae and Echymiperinae, while the "true bandicoots" occupy the subfamily Peramelinae. The only exception is the extinct Pig-footed Bandicoot, which has been given its own family, Chaeropodidae. The embryos of bandicoots, unlike other marsupials, form a placenta-like organ that connects it to the uterine wall. The function of this organ is probably to transfer nutrients from the mother; however the structure is small compared to those of the placentalia.
Dunnart From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dunnarts are furry narrow-footed marsupials the size of a mouse, members of the genus Sminthopsis. They are mainly insectivorous. A male dunnart's Y chromosome has only 4 genes, making it the smallest known mammalian Y chromosome.[2] There are 21 species, all in Australia and some in New Guinea: - Genus Sminthopsis
- S. crassicaudata species-group
- S. macroura species-group
- S. granulipes species-group
- S. griseoventer species-group
- S. longicaudata species-group
- S. murina species-group
- S. psammophila species-group
[edit] References
Quokka From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  Quokka, Rottnest Island, Western Australia The Quokka (Setonix brachyurus), the only member of the genus Setonix, is a small macropod about the size of a large domestic cat.[2] Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as the kangaroos and wallabies), the Quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal. It can be found on some smaller islands off the coast of Western Australia, in particular on Rottnest Island just off Perth, and Bald Island near Albany. A small mainland colony exists in the protected area Two Peoples Bay, where they co-exist with Gilbert's Potoroo.
[edit] Ecology In the wild, its roaming is restricted to a very small range in the South-West of Western Australia. The Quokka has become rare, but remains a protected species on islands off the coast of that area, Bald Island, Rottnest Island, Garden Island and rarely Penguin Island. The islands are free of foxes and cats. On Rottnest Island, it is common and occupies a variety of habitats ranging from semi-arid scrub to cultivated gardens.
[edit] Description It weighs 2.5 to 5 kg and is 40 to 54 cm long with a 25 to 30 cm tail — which is rather short for a macropod. It has a stocky build, rounded ears, and a short, broad head. Although looking rather like a very small, dumpy kangaroo, it can climb small trees and shrubs. Its coarse fur is a grizzled brown colour, fading to buff underneath. The Quokka recycles a small amount of its waste products.
[edit] Behaviour The Quokka is gregarious and gathers in large groups where food is available: primary items are grasses, sedges, succulents and foliage. The health of some animals has suffered significantly by the ingestion of inappropriate foods, such as bread, given by well meaning visitors to Rottnest Island. Visitors are now asked to refrain from feeding them. It breeds at any time on the mainland, but in late summer on Rottnest. The Quokka only produces a single joey in a year. Restricted availability of the trace element copper appears to be a major limiting factor of the ability of the Quokka to breed on Rottnest. The Quokka's movements are similar to those of a kangaroo, incorporating a mixture of small and large hops.
[edit] Interaction with humans The Quokka has no fear of humans and it is common for it to approach them closely, particularly on Rottnest Island. It is, however, illegal for members of the public on Rottnest Island to handle the animals in any way. An infringement notice carrying a A$100 fine can be issued by the Rottnest Island Authority for such behaviour.[3] However, prosecution of the offence can result in a fine of up to $1000.[4] Such fines are implemented in the rare cases that Quokkas are abused or killed by visitors to Rottnest.[5]
[edit] Status Although numerous on the small offshore islands, it has a very restricted range and is classified as vulnerable. On the mainland, where it is threatened by introduced predatory species such as foxes, it requires dense ground cover for refuge. Agricultural development has reduced this habitat, and has thus contributed to the decline of the species. Introduced cats and dogs, as well as dingoes, have added to the problem, as have the clearing and burning of the remaining swamplands.
[edit] European discovery The Quokka was one of the first Australian mammals seen by Europeans. The Dutch mariner Samuel Volckertzoon wrote of sighting "a wild cat" on Rottnest Island in 1658. In 1696 Willem de Vlamingh mistook them for rats and named the island "Rottenest", Dutch for "rat nest".
The word quokka is derived from a Nyungar word, which was probably gwaga.[6]
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