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For other uses, see Possum (disambiguation).
For the Western Hemisphere marsupial, see opossum. Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere.
Possums
Common Brushtail Possum(Trichosurus vulpecula)
Common Brushtail Possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Phalangeriformes
Szalay in Archer, 1982
Superfamilies and Families

Phalangeroidea

Petauroidea

A possum is any of about 64 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi (and introduced to New Zealand). The Common Brushtail Possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox" is the largest Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Marsupials are an Infraclass of Mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium) in which females carry their young through Diprotodontia (Greek meaning "two front teeth" is a large order of about 120 Marsupial mammals including the Kangaroos Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Taxonomic rank ( rank, category, taxonomic category is an abstract term used in the Scientific classification, or Taxonomy, of organisms In Biological classification, family ( Latin The pygmy possums are species of small Possums that together form the Marsupial family Burramyidae. Phalangeridae is a family of Nocturnal Marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including the Cuscuses Brushtail possums Pseudocheiridae is a family of Arboreal Marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed Possums and close relatives The family Petauridae includes 11 medium-sized Possum Species: four Striped possums the six species Wrist-winged gliders in genus The Honey Possum ( Tarsipes rostratus) or Noolbenger is a tiny Australian Marsupial weighing just seven to eleven grams for the male and Acrobatidae is a small family of gliding Marsupials containing two genera each with a single species the Feathertail Glider ( Acrobates pygmaeus Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees" Marsupials are an Infraclass of Mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium) in which females carry their young through In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes, ˈsɛlɛbiz is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The name derives from their resemblance to the opossums of the Americas. Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America (The name is from Algonquian wapathemwa, not Greek or Latin, so the plural is possums, not possa. The Algonquian (also Algonkian, and pronounced both and) languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ) Possum is also used in North America as a short form of Opossum. Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. The possum's rank odour is due to its large musk glands located behind each ear.

Possums are small marsupials with brown or grey fur, ranging in size and weight from the length of a finger or 170 grams (6 ounces) (pygmy possums and wrist-winged gliders), to the length of 120 centimetres (four feet) or 14. The pygmy possums are species of small Possums that together form the Marsupial family Burramyidae. The genus Petaurus contains flying phalangers or wrist-winged gliders, a group of Arboreal Marsupials There are six species 5 kilograms (32 pounds) (brushtails and ringtails). In general, though, the larger possums are about the same size as a well-fed domestic cat. All possums are nocturnal and omnivorous, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that squirrels fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance. A squirrel is one of the many small or medium-sized Rodents in the family Sciuridae.

The two most common species of possums, the Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail, are also among the largest. The Common Brushtail Possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox" is the largest The Common Ringtail Possum ( Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien" is an

Contents

Interaction with humans

The animal has been a part of Australian culture and folklore since the original indigenous inhabitants of the country. Indigenous Australians once used possum hides whilst playing the traditional game of Marn Grook. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. Marn Grook (also spelt marngrook) literally meaning "Game ball" is the collective name given to a number of traditional Australian Aboriginal ball games Possum-skin cloaks were important clothing for Aborigines from the south-east, as well as being important clan heirlooms. Possum-skin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by Australian Aborigines in the south-east of the continent – present-day Victoria and New South Wales

In modern times, the phrase "Hello possums!" made famous by satirist Barry Humphries' character Dame Edna Everage has become a celebrated catchphrase. John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE (born 17 February 1934, Kew, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries.

Possums are commonly found in suburban areas, where they are often considered pests owing to their habit of eating fruit, vegetables, flowers and tender young shoots from gardens, and nesting in roofs. The loud hissing, crackling territorial call of the male Common Brushtail may also be a problem for suburban residents. Natural deterrents which play upon the possum's acute sense of smell are often employed to discourage them. These include cloves of garlic, camphor or naphthalene. } Camphor is a waxy white or transparent solid with a strong aromatic odor Naphthalene, also known as naphthalin, naphthaline, tar camphor, white tar, albocarbon, or antimite and not to be As a native species in Australia, possums are protected by Australian regulations, even when they reside in urban neighbourhoods, and cannot be baited. They cannot be killed as pests, and if captured, the regulations stipulate that they must be released within a small radius of that locality since they are territorial creatures. Preventative measures such as blocking off their access to the roof spaces or building a possum nesting box for an alternative home are instead recommended.

Although the Common Brushtail and (to a lesser extent) ringtail possums have adapted well to the urban environment, many of the lesser-known species are reduced in number, threatened, or endangered. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation

Introduction into New Zealand

The Common Brushtail Possum was introduced to New Zealand by European settlers in an attempt to establish a fur industry. The Common Brushtail Possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox" is the largest New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage.

They soon escaped into the wild where they have thrived as an invasive species with great numbers: around 60 million individuals estimated. Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions There are no native predators of the possum in New Zealand. There have been numerous attempts to eradicate them because of the damage they do to native trees and wildlife, as well as acting as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common For New Zealand, the introduction of possums has resulted in as much of an ecological disaster as the introduction of rabbits has been in Australia. In Australia, Rabbits are the most serious Mammalian pests, an Invasive species whose destruction of habitats is responsible for

Classification

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders: the Vombatiformes (wombats and the Koala, 4 species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums and gliders) and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies and the Musky Rat-kangaroo). This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Diprotodontia (Greek meaning "two front teeth" is a large order of about 120 Marsupial mammals including the Kangaroos This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Vombatiformes is one of the three Suborders of the large Marsupial order Diprotodontia. The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus is a thickset Arboreal Marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant A possum is any of about 64 small to medium-sized Arboreal Marsupial Species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi Macropodiformes is one of the three Suborders of the large Marsupial order Diprotodontia. A kangaroo is a Marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods meaning 'large foot' A potoroo is any member of the genus Potorous. Classification SUBORDER MACROPODIFORMES Family A wallaby is any of about thirty species of Macropod (Family Macropodidae The Musky Rat-kangaroo ( Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) is a rat-sized Marsupial species found in the Rainforests of New Guinea and northeast

References

See also

The biological order Paucituberculata contains the six surviving species of shrew opossum: small Shrew -like Marsupials which are confined to the Many Animals, such as Sharks, Beetles, Snakes and the Virginia opossum, are capable of appearing to be dead to an observer while

Dictionary

possum

-noun

  1. Any of marsupials in several families of the order Diprotodontia of Australia and neighboring islands.
  2. (colloquial) Popular form for the opossums, the marsupials of the family Didelphidae of the Americas
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