Common Ringtail Possum

About

Body fur colour variable, but usually grey-brown above and white underneath. Coiled tail with a white tip.

Common Ringtail Possums are mainly solitary but sometimes form small family groups. At night, they forage for leaves, flowers and fruit, using their tail to grip branches as they move.

It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers, fruits and sap. 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

Size

Body 300 mm - 350 mm, Tail 300 mm - 350 mm, weight 700 - 1100 g

Habitat

Almost exclusively tree-dwelling, the Common Ringtail Possum lives in in forests, woodlands, rainforests, dense scrub and suburban gardens. During the day, the Common Ringtail Possum sleeps in its spherical nest or 'drey' made from grass and shredded bark. It builds the drey in a tree hole, tree fork or dense vegetation, and several individuals may share the one nest

Distribution

The Common Ringtail Possum is found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia and Tasmania

Gallery

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Local Sightings

1 recorded sighting in and around the area.

References & citations (3)

1. Atlas of Living Australia (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)
2. The Australian Museum (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)
3. Animal Diversity Web (accessed 2021-09-22 14:03:33)