Common Ringtail Possum
Scientific Name: Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Size: 600-760 mm TL, including tail 300-380 mm.
What does it look like?
The Common Ringtail Possum is pale greyish to reddish-orange above, paler below, and with white patches behind eyes and ears. Tail prehensile, with short fur, and tapering towards white tip.
Where is it found?
Eastern Australia, from Cape York Peninsula Qld, through eastern NSW and Vic, to south-eastern SA (including Kangaroo Island), and Tas (including islands of Bass Strait).
What are its habitats & habits?
The Common Ringtail Possum inhabits rainforests, forests and woodlands, typically with a dense understorey, and coastal scrubland, where it predominantly arboreal, foraging at night in small family groups for leaves, flowers and fruits, and sheltering during the day in tree hollows (especially in the north), in dense foliage, or in a dome-shaped nest (drey), constructed of sticks. Female gives birth to 2 young in a litter.
Interesting facts
Eats soft excretions of food to digest a second time.
Also known as: Common Ring-tailed Possum; Eastern Ringtail Possum, South-eastern Ringtail; Tasmanian Ringtail; Rufous Ringtail; Banga
This species features in my book A Naturalist’s Guide to the Mammals of Australia
