Common ringtail possum

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Common ringtail possum [1]
Possum Ring-tailed444.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Pseudocheiridae
Genus: Pseudocheirus
Species:
P. peregrinus
Binomial name
Pseudocheirus peregrinus
(Boddaert, 1785)
Common Ringtail Possum area.png
Common ringtail possum range (except Western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus occidentalis) range) (blue — native, red — introduced)

The common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial.

Contents

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 caecotropes, which is material fermented in the caecum and expelled during the daytime when it is resting in a nest. This behaviour is called caecotrophy and is similar to that seen in rabbits.

Taxonomy

The common ringtail possum is currently classified as one of the two living species in the genus Pseudocheirus ; the species of Pseudochirulus and other ringtail genera were formerly also classified in Pseudocheirus. Several subspecies have been described: [1]

Pseudocheirus occidentalis (Ngwayir, or the Western ringtail possum), found in the south west of Australia, used to be considered a subspecies of Pseudocheirus peregrinus; however, it is now formally considered a separate species. [3]

Description

The common ringtail possum weighs between 550 and 1,100 g (19 and 39 oz) and is approximately 30–35 cm (12–14 in) cm long when grown (excluding the tail, which is roughly the same length again). It has grey or black fur with white patches behind the eyes and usually a cream-coloured belly. It has a long prehensile tail which normally displays a distinctive white tip over 25% of its length. The back feet are syndactyl, which helps it to climb. The ringtail possum's molars have sharp and pointed cusps. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The common ringtail possum ranges on the east coast of Australia, as well as Tasmania and a part of southwestern Australia. [5] They generally live in temperate and tropical environments and are rare in drier environments. Ringtail possums prefer forests of dense brush, particularly eucalyptus forests. [5] The common ringtail possum and its relatives occupy a range of niches similar to those of lemurs, monkeys, squirrels, and bushbabies in similar forests on other continents. [6] It is less prolific and less widespread than the common brushtail possum.

A common ringtail possum carrying young. Common Ringtail Possum - AndrewMercer IMG13848.jpg
A common ringtail possum carrying young.

Behaviour

The common ringtail possum is nocturnal and well adapted to arboreal life. It relies on its prehensile tail and sometimes will descend to the ground. [5] They communicate with soft, high-pitched, and twittering calls. [7]

Asleep in daytime roost. Common ringtails usually build nests. This one prefers the open air. Common Ringtail Possum.jpg
Asleep in daytime roost. Common ringtails usually build nests. This one prefers the open air.

Diet and foraging

The common ringtail possum feeds on a wide variety of plants in the family Myrtaceae including the foliage, flowers and fruits from shrubs and lower canopy. [8] Some populations are also known to feed on the leaves of cypress pine ( Callitris ), wattles ( Acacia spp.) and plant gum or resins. [9] [10]

When foraging, ringtail possums prefer young leaves over old ones. One study found the emergence of young possums from their pouches corresponds to the flowering and fruiting of the tea-tree, Leptospermum and the peak of fresh plant growth. [6] Young eucalypt leaves are richer in nitrogen and have less dense cell walls than older leaves; however, the protein gained from them is less available due to higher amounts of tannins. [11] When feeding, the possum's molars slice through the leaves, slitting them into pieces. The possum's gastrointestinal tract sends the fine particles to the caecum and the coarse ones to the colon. [4] These particles stay in the caecum for up to 70 hours where the cell walls and tanned cytoplasts are partially digested. [12]

What distinguishes the digestive system of the common ringtail possum from that of the koala and the greater glider is the caecal contents are expelled as caecotropes, reingested and passed into the stomach. Because of this, the ringtail possum is able to gain more protein. [4] This is also done by lagomorphs (rabbits, hares and pikas). Hard faeces are produced during the night while feeding and are not eaten, while caecotropes are produced during the day during rests and are eaten. [13]

Metabolism

Common ringtail possum in Brisbane, Queensland. Ringtail Possum. Brisbane.jpg
Common ringtail possum in Brisbane, Queensland.

The re-ingestion of caecotropes also serves to maintain the ringtail possum's energy balance. Ringtail possums gain much of their gross energy from reingestion. [14] The common ringtail possum has a daily maintenance nitrogen requirement (MNR) of 290 mg N/kg0.75. Common ringtail possums gain much of their MNR from consuming their nitrogen-rich caecotropes. They would have to gain 620 mg N/kg0.75 otherwise. [4] The ringtail possum recycles 96% of its liver's urea, which is then transferred into the caecum and made into bacterial protein. Only re-ingestion makes this effective and the bacterial protein must be digested in the stomach and the amino acids subsequently absorbed in the small intestine. [4] This recycling also allows the possum to conserve water and urinate less. Reingestion allows the possum to live on low nitrogen eucalyptus leaves which is particularly important during late lactation. [15] It has been found that at higher temperatures, the common ringtail possum consumes less food due to a limited ability to metabolize toxins found in their diet. [16] Because 55% of their water intake comes from the leaves and foliage they consume, their metabolic rate must remain low and stable while facing water loss. [17] In response to this challenge, common ringtail possums can control their body temperature and conserve water by using facultative hyperthermia to temporarily raise their internal body temperature, ranging from 29 to 39 °C (84 to 102 °F). [17]

Nesting

Common ringtail possums live a gregarious lifestyle which centres on their communal nests, also called dreys. [18] Ringtail possums build nests from tree branches and occasionally use tree hollows. A communal nest is made up of an adult female and an adult male, their dependant offspring and immature offspring of the previous year. [8] A group of ringtail possums may build several dreys at different sites. Ringtail possums are territorial and will drive away any strange conspecifics from their nests. A group has a strong attachment to their site. In one experiment, in which a group was removed from their territory, it remained uncolonised for the following two years. [8] Ringtail possum nests tend to be more common in low scrub and less common in heavily timbered areas with little under-story. [4] Dreys contribute to the survival of the young when they are no longer carried on their mother's back. [4]

Reproduction and growth

Common ringtail possum in South Yarra, Victoria. Ring-tailed possum.jpg
Common ringtail possum in South Yarra, Victoria.

The common ringtail possum carries its young in a pouch, where it develops. Depending on the area, the mating season can take place anywhere between April and December. [5] The majority of the young are born between May and July. The oestrous cycle of ringtail possum lasts 28 days. [6] It is both polyoestrous and polyovular. If a female prematurely loses her litter, she can return to oestrous and produce a second litter in October as a replacement if conditions are right. [4] The average litter is two, although there are very occasionally triplets. [4] Common ringtail possum young tend to grow relatively slowly due to dilute milk with low lipid levels that is provided to the young. As with other marsupials, the common ringtail possum's milk changes through lactation. [19] During the second phase of lactation, more solid foods are eaten, especially when the young first emerges from the pouch. [19] During this time, the concentration of carbohydrates fall, while those of proteins and lipids reach their highest. [19] The long lactation of the ringtail possums may give the young more time to learn skills in the communal nest as well as to climb and forage in the trees. [4]

The young are first able to vocalise and open their eyes between 90 and 106 days of age. [5] They leave their mother's pouch at 120–130 days. However, lactation usually continues until 180–220 days after birth but sometimes ends by 145 days. [6] Both sexes become sexually mature in the first mating season after their birth.

Status

Common ringtail possum populations severely declined during the 1950s. However, populations seem to have recovered in recent times. [5] Because they are largely arboreal, common ringtail possums are particularly affected by deforestation in Australia. They are also heavily preyed upon by the introduced red fox. They are also hit by cars, or killed by snakes, cats and dogs in suburban areas. [5]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phalangeriformes</span> Suborder of arboreal marsupials

Phalangeriformes is a paraphyletic suborder of about 70 species of small to medium-sized arboreal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. The species are commonly known as possums, gliders, and cuscus. The common name "possum" for various Phalangeriformes species derives from the creatures' resemblance to the opossums of the Americas. However, although opossums are also marsupials, Australasian possums are more closely related to other Australasian marsupials such as kangaroos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey possum</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common brushtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The common brushtail possum is a nocturnal, semiarboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia and invasive in New Zealand, and the second-largest of the possums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feathertail glider</span> Species of mammal (Acrobates pygmaeus; marsupial)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian pygmy possum</span> Species of marsupial

The Tasmanian pygmy possum, also known as the little pygmy possum or tiny pygmy possum, is the world's smallest possum. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1888, after he identified that a museum specimen labelled as an eastern pygmy possum in fact represented a species then unknown to science. The holotype resides in the Natural History Museum in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pseudocheiridae</span> Family of marsupials

Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea.

<i>Pseudocheirus</i> Genus of marsupials

Pseudocheirus is a genus of ringtail possums. It includes a single living species, the common ringtail possum of Australia, as well as the fossil Pseudocheirus marshalli from the Pliocene of Victoria.

Possum may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied glider</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-tailed possum</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater glider</span> Genus of marsupials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock-haunting ringtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The rock-haunting ringtail possum, also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Australia and Northern Territory and just passing the Queensland border. It is also found on Groote Eylandt. It is the only species in the genus Petropseudes, but is part of the group including the common ringtail possum.

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Slender ringtail possum or Small ringtail possum (Pseudochirulus), also known as the ringtail possum, is a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. Pseudochirulus live on trees and their diet mainly consists of leaves. The ringtail possums are related to five other genera Hemibelideus, Petauroides, Petropseudes, Pseudocheirus and Pseudochirops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy ringtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The pygmy ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in the montane forest regions of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, Indonesia. They are "widespread along the Central Cordillera" and live at elevations between 1,500 and 3,600 metres above sea level.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain brushtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western ringtail possum</span> Species of possum found in Southwest Australia

The western ringtail possum or ngwayir is a species of possum found in a small area of Southwest Australia. They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and a long prehensile tail with a whitish tip. Ngwayir forage at night through the upper canopy of trees, feeding on young leaves, flowers and fruit, especially in groves of the weeping peppermint Agonis flexuosa. Breeding occurs mainly during the winter, the single juvenile emerging from the pouch after about three months. The population has declined by more than 95% since British settlement, due to clearing of habitat, fire and the introduction of the red fox Vulpes vulpes, and is classified as Critically Endangered. The population in most areas has catastrophically declined or become locally extinct, but strongholds remain in the urbanised areas near Busselton and Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petauroidea</span> Superfamily of marsupials

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References

  1. 1 2 Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 51. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. ↑ Winter, J.; Menkhorst, P.; Lunney, D.; van Weenen, J. (2016). "Pseudocheirus peregrinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T40581A21963019. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T40581A21963019.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Pseudocheirus occidentalis — Western Ringtail Possum". Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 C. Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe (2005). Life of Marsupials. Csiro Publishing. pp. 243–247. ISBN   978-0-643-06257-3 . Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pseudocheirus peregrinus Animal diversity
  6. 1 2 3 4 Barnett, J.L, A., R. R.A. How. 1984. "The Population Biology of Pseudocheirus peregrinus". pp. 261–268 in Possums and Gliders Andrew Smith, Ian D. Hume (Eds.) New South Wales: Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty Limited.
  7. ↑ Lee, Anthony, A. 1984. "The Evolution of Strategies for Survival and Reproduction in Possums and Gliders". pp. 17–19 in Possums and Gliders Andrew Smith, Ian D. Hume (Eds.). New South Wales: Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty Limited.
  8. 1 2 3 Thomson, JA; Owen WH (1964). "A Field Study of the Australian Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae)". Ecological Monographs. 34 (1): 27–52. Bibcode:1964EcoM...34...27T. doi:10.2307/1948462. JSTOR   1948462.
  9. ↑ Hermsen, E; Kerle, A; Old, JM (2015). "Diet of an inland population of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)". Australian Mammalogy. 38 (1): 130–34. doi:10.1071/AM15008.
  10. ↑ De Angelis, DA (2017). "Plant exudates: a previously unreported feature in the diet of the common ringtail possum". Ecology. 98 (8): 2219–20. Bibcode:2017Ecol...98.2219D. doi:10.1002/ecy.1839. PMID   28475212.
  11. ↑ Cork SJ, Pahl. (1984) "The possible influence of nutritional factors on diet and habitat selection by the ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)". In: Possums and gliders Andrew Smith, Ian D. Hume (Eds.) pp. 269–76. Australian Mammal Society.
  12. ↑ TP Obrien; A Lomdahl; G Sanson (1986). "Preliminary Microscopic Investigations of the Digesta Derived From Foliage of Eucalyptus ovata (Labill) in the Digestive-Tract of the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Marsupialia)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 34 (2): 157–176. doi:10.1071/ZO9860157.
  13. ↑ Chilcott M J (1984). "Coprophagy in the common ringtail possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Marsupialia: Petuaridae)". Australian Mammalogy. 7 (2): 107–110. doi:10.1071/AM84011. S2CID   254708772.
  14. ↑ Chilcott MJ, Hume ID (1984). "Nitrogen and Urea Metabolism and Nitrogen, Requirements of the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Fed Eucalyptus andrewii Foliage". Australian Journal of Zoology. 32 (5): 615–22. doi:10.1071/ZO9840615.
  15. ↑ Munks, SA; Green, B (1997). "Milk consumption and growth in a marsupial arboreal folivore, the common ringtail possum". Physiological Zoology. 70 (6): 691–700. doi:10.1086/515871. PMID   9361143. S2CID   24921841.
  16. ↑ Beale, Phillipa K.; Connors, Patrice K.; Dearing, M. Denise; Moore, Ben D.; Krockenberger, Andrew K.; Foley, William J.; Marsh, Karen J. (2022-06-09). "Warmer Ambient Temperatures Depress Detoxification and Food Intake by Marsupial Folivores". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 10: 888550. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.888550 . ISSN   2296-701X.
  17. 1 2 Turner, James M. (2020-01-01). "Facultative hyperthermia during a heatwave delays injurious dehydration of an arboreal marsupial". Journal of Experimental Biology. 223 (Pt 5): jeb.219378. doi: 10.1242/jeb.219378 . ISSN   1477-9145. PMID   32054679.
  18. ↑ "Homes for Ringtail possums".
  19. 1 2 3 SA Munks; B Green; K Newgrain; M Messer (1991). "Milk-Composition in the Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Petauridae, Marsupialia)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 39 (4): 403–416. doi:10.1071/ZO9910403.
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