Herbert River ringtail possum

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Herbert River ringtail possum [1]
PhalangistaHerbertensisSmit.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Pseudocheiridae
Genus: Pseudochirulus
Species:
P. herbertensis
Binomial name
Pseudochirulus herbertensis
(Collett, 1884)
Herbert River Ringtail Possum area.png
Herbert River ringtail possum range

The Herbert River ringtail possum (Pseudochirulus herbertensis) is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a dark brown to black species, sometimes with a white belly. The Herbert River ringtail possum was long considered conspecific with the cinereus ringtail possum (P. cinereus), despite the fact that they are very different in appearance. They are, however, the only members of their New Guinea-centred genus found in Australia. The Herbert River ringtail possum is restricted to tropical rainforest from Mount Lee, west of Ingham, to the Lamb Range, west of Cairns. [3]

Ecological problems

The Herbert River ringtail's diet mainly consists of leaves with high levels of protein. [4] Some secondary food sources are pink bloodwood, cadaghi, bumpy satinash and white basswood. [4] Pink bloodwood and cadaghi are two different types of Eucalyptus trees. [4] Since the P. herbertensis diet consists of these Eucalyptus trees, ecologist John Kanowski of the Rainforest Cooperative Research Centre at Atherton believes P. herbertensis is one of "seven rare marsupials" threatened by global warming. [5] Kanowski believes that both the Herbert River Ringtail Possum and Daintree River Ringtail Possum are at risk because the increased temperatures from global warming force them and other marsupials to retreat up the mountains, thus “reducing [their] area of favorable habitat.” [6] However, Kanowski is more worried about the increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) levels. [6] When CO2 levels increase, it leads to a change in the metabolic process of trees thus "chang[ing] the balance of protein in their leaves" and leading to an increase in production of tannins by the tree. [6] This is problematic because "tannins can potentially inhibit the ability of leaf eating animals to digest protein; [and] at high concentrations, tannins are actually toxic." [6] Therefore, while P. herbertensis may seem secure, their dependency on the rainforest "makes them vulnerable to habitat destruction." [4]

Related Research Articles

<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">D'Aguilar National Park</span> Protected area in Queensland, Australia

D'Aguilar National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia. It contains the D'Aguilar Range and is located along the northwest of the Brisbane metropolitan area. The park is traversed by the winding scenic Mount Nebo Road and Mount Glorious Road.

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

The squirrel glider is a nocturnal gliding possum. The squirrel glider is one of the wrist-winged gliders of the genus Petaurus.

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

The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daintree River</span> River in Queensland, Australia

The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area is now primarily a tourist attraction.

<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.

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

The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus Petauroides, all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, Petauroides volans. In 2020 morphological and genetic differences, obtained using diversity arrays technology, showed there were three species subsumed under this one name. The two new species were named Petauroides armillatus and Petauroides minor.

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

The Daintree River ringtail possum, also known as the cinereus ringtail possum, is a species of possum found in northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was long believed to be the same as the Herbert River ringtail possum, but has recently been separated. The two species differ considerably in appearance.

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

The lowland ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

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">Weyland ringtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The Weyland ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the western Central Cordillera of Papua Province, Indonesia. P. caroli is also "known from four localities west of the Star Mountains" and tends to live in montane forest or other hilly areas. Currently the Weyland ringtail is not endangered, but should be "monitored [because] it could rapidly become threatened if either human encroachment or hunting were to increase significantly."

<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">Vogelkop ringtail possum</span> Species of marsupial

The Vogelkop ringtail possum is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia.

<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.

Ringtail, ring tail, or ring-tail may refer to:

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

Petauroidea is a superfamily of marsupials from Australia and New Guinea. It is part of the suborder Phalangeriformes within the order Diprotodontia, which also includes, among others, wombats, kangaroos, cuscuses. The superfamily Phalangeroidea, including cuscuses and brushtail possums and pygmy possums, is the immediate sister group of the Petauroidea. The earliest fossils from this superfamily are from the Oligocene of the Geilston Bay fossil site in Tasmania.

References

  1. 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. 52. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Burnett, S.; Winter, J. (2016). "Pseudochirulus herbertensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T18509A21962231. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T18509A21962231.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press. p. 98.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Berger, Alison. "Pseudochirulus Herbertensis (Herbert River Ringtail)." Animal Diversity Web. Regents University of Michigan, 1 July. 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pseudochirulus_herbertensis/
  5. O'Neill, Graeme . "Treetoptremors." Greenhouse Effects 99 (1999): p.15, 15-19. ECOS Magazine. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?act=view_file&file_id=EC99p15.pdf
  6. 1 2 3 4 O'Neill, Graeme . "Treetoptremors." Greenhouse Effects 99 (1999): p.16, 15-19. ECOS Magazine. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?act=view_file&file_id=EC99p15.pdf