Animal Species:Eastern Pygmy Possum
The Eastern Pygmy Possum is a tiny marsupial.
Eastern Pygmy Possums on flower
K Atkinson
© Australian Museum
Identification
The Eastern Pygmy Possum has the following distinguishing features:
- Front teeth Three pairs of upper incisors, one pair of lower incisors.
- Head Rounded head and very large eyes. Long whiskers.
- Ears Large ears.
- Colouring Fawn above, white below. Soft dense fur.
- Tail Prehensile tail with seasonally fattened base, naked underside, furred above, tapers to fine point. 75-105 mm.
Size range
Body 70 mm - 110 mm, Body weight 15 g - 43 g
Similar Species
Sometimes mistaken for a rat or mouse.
Habitat
The Eastern Pygmy Possum lives in forests, from rainforest and sclerophyll to heath.
Feeding and Diet
The Eastern Pygmy Possum feeds on nectar and pollen from eucalypts, banksias, and bottlebrushes, supplemented by insects and fruit.
Feeding Habits
frugivorous, insectivorous, nectarivorous
Other behaviours and adaptations
Eastern Pygmy Possums are nocturnal.
Life history mode
nocturnal
Life cycle
Mother Eastern Pygmy Possums nest with their young in tree hollows or in small spherical nests of shredded bark. The possums may also shelter in abandoned bird nests or the forks of trees.
Classification
- Species:
- nanus
- Genus:
- Cercartetus
- Family:
- Burramyidae
- Order:
- Diprotodontia
- Subclass:
- Marsupialia
- Class:
- Mammalia
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
Last Updated:
Tags possums, marsupials, mammals, vertebrates, identification,