Wildlife on Wednesday .... Brush-tail Possum.

The Brush-tail Possum, Trichosurus vulpecular, is the most common marsupial here in eastern Australia.  We often see these cuties ...  as there's usually at least one living somewhere under our roof!  

This one came out the other evening and seemed slightly lost and bemused!

Back in January last year we were seeing two possums ... a mother and her young.  I think the possum we saw last week - pictured above - might be the young one spotted last January.

Here's a shot of the mother and baby from just over a year ago ...

The size and colour of the Brush-tail Possum varies from a copper colour to a silver-grey back with a white to pale grey belly. Here in North Queensland we commonly see the copper coloured ones.

The Brush-tails have large eyes with pointy, prominent ears.  The tail is bushy, although the underside is partly bare with either a black or white tip.

This Possum is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) nocturnal animal that lives in hollow trunks and throughout open forests and woodlands.  We do, however, often seen them living in the towns and cities where they will find shelter under house roofs. 

At night this possum will spend some time on the ground in search for the fresh growth of 

trees. Their diet consists mainly of leaves, but is supplemented with fruit and blossoms.

Breeding normally only one young in autumn, the young will stay in the pouch for 4-5 months and then remain with its mother for another 6-8 weeks in the nest or on the mums back.