Lexi Webster
The common brushtail possum is a large possum with a bushy tail and pointed ears. It is the most familiar and abundant of the Australian possums and is commonly encountered in urban areas, suburban backyards, campgrounds, and even the ceilings of houses. They are mainly herbivores, with a preference for eucalyptus leaves, but they also eat flowers, fruits, seeds, and buds. In suburban areas, they may become opportunistic feeders, eating almost anything they can find, including insects, eggs, and meat.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Omnivorous. Prefers Eucalyptus leaves, but also eats flowers, shoots, fruits, seeds, buds, insects, birds' eggs and chicks, and other small vertebrates. |
| Habitat | Wooded areas along Australia's east coast, eastern South Australia, and southwest Western Australia. |
| Behaviour | Nocturnal, arboreal, and solitary. |
| Appearance | Large possum with bushy tail and pointy ears. Usually silvery grey in colour with a black band across the snout and a white to brownish-yellow belly. |
| Weight | 1.5-4 kg |
| Length | Combined head and body length: 35-55 cm. Tail length: 25-40 cm. |
| Conservation Status | Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but numbers are decreasing. |
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What You'll Learn
Brushtail possums are mainly folivores
The common brushtail possum is a folivore, which means its diet mainly consists of leaves. In most Australian habitats, eucalyptus leaves are a significant part of the brushtail possum's diet, but rarely the sole item eaten. Brushtail possums may eat three or four different plant species during a foraging trip, unlike some other arboreal marsupials, such as the koala and the greater glider, which focus on a single species. The brushtail possum's rounded molars are more adapted to crushing their food, which enables them to chew fruit or herbs more effectively.
The common brushtail possum is the most familiar and abundant of the Australian possums. It is a large possum with a bushy tail and pointy ears. Usually silvery-grey in colour with a black band across the snout, they have a white to brownish-yellow belly. Adults can weigh around 1.5-4 kg. The combined head and body length is between 35 and 55 cm and the tail length is 25-40 cm. They are common in campgrounds, suburban backyards, and sometimes the ceilings of houses.
The common brushtail possum has adapted well to living with humans and is commonly encountered in urban areas. They are highly vocal animals and interact with each other through a wide variety of calls such as clicks, grunts, hisses, alarm chatters, guttural coughs, or screeching. They are nocturnal animals, coming out after dark to feed on flowers, fruit, buds, and leaves of native plants. Mistletoe, one of their snacks, is a parasite that can kill gum trees, and the common brushtail possum helps to protect gum trees by controlling the mistletoe.
In suburban areas, the common brushtail possum may become an opportunistic feeder, eating almost anything that it can find. They are known to eat flowers, shoots, fruits, and seeds. They may also consume animal matter such as insects, birds' eggs and chicks, and other small vertebrates.
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They also eat flowers, fruits, and seeds
The common brushtail possum is a large possum with a bushy tail and pointed ears. They are common in campgrounds, suburban backyards, and sometimes even in the ceilings of houses. They are highly vocal and communicate through a variety of calls such as clicks, grunts, hisses, alarm chatters, guttural coughs, or screeching.
The common brushtail possum is mainly a folivore, but it also eats flowers, fruits, and seeds. They may also consume animal matter such as insects, birds' eggs, and chicks. In suburban areas, they may become opportunistic feeders, eating almost anything they can find. They are known to be inventive and determined foragers with a liking for fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and even kitchen raids.
The brushtail possum's rounded molars are adapted for crushing their food, which enables them to chew fruits more effectively. They may eat three or four different plant species during a foraging trip, unlike some other arboreal marsupials that focus on a single species.
The common brushtail possum is considered a pest in some areas due to the damage it causes to pine plantations, regenerative forests, flowers, fruit trees, and buildings. It is a traditional food source for some Indigenous Australian groups. However, their claws can cause infection or disease in humans if scratched, so it is not encouraged to hand-feed them.
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Eucalyptus leaves are a significant part of their diet
The common brushtail possum is mainly a folivore, and in most Australian habitats, eucalyptus leaves are a significant part of its diet. However, they rarely eat only eucalyptus leaves and have been known to eat small mammals, insects, birds' eggs and chicks, and other small vertebrates. They may eat three or four different plant species during a foraging trip, unlike some other arboreal marsupials, such as the koala and the greater glider, which focus on a single species.
The brushtail possum's rounded molars are not as well-adapted to cutting eucalyptus leaves as finely as those of more specialized feeders. They are more adapted to crushing their food, which enables them to chew fruit or herbs more effectively. The brushtail possum's caecum lacks internal ridges, so it cannot separate coarse and fine particles as efficiently as some other arboreal marsupials. Therefore, it cannot rely on eucalyptus leaves alone to provide sufficient protein. However, its more generalized and mixed diet provides adequate nitrogen.
The common brushtail possum is a large possum with a bushy tail and pointy ears. They are common in campgrounds, suburban backyards, and sometimes even the ceilings of houses. They are mainly nocturnal, arboreal, and solitary animals, marking their home ranges through scent secretions. They are highly vocal and interact with each other through a wide variety of calls such as clicks, grunts, hisses, alarm chatters, guttural coughs, or screeching.
In addition to eucalyptus leaves, the common brushtail possum's diet includes flowers, shoots, fruits, seeds, and buds of native plants. Mistletoe, a snack for these possums, is a parasite that can kill gum trees, so by eating it, the common brushtail possum helps protect gum trees by controlling the mistletoe.
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They may also eat insects, eggs, and meat
The Australian brushtail possum is mainly a folivore, but it is actually an omnivore and has been known to eat small mammals such as rats. Its diet is usually plant-based, including eucalyptus leaves, flowers, shoots, fruits, seeds, buds, and leaves of native plants. However, they may also eat insects, eggs, and meat, although infrequently.
Brushtail possums are opportunistic feeders in suburban areas, eating almost anything they can find. They are highly adaptable and can live in a wide range of habitats, including urban environments, where they are known to raid kitchens and scavenge for food. This makes it more likely that they will come across meat, eggs, and insects as a food source.
In the wild, brushtail possums may also come across insects and small animals as a source of protein. Their diet needs to be supplemented with protein as their preferred food, eucalyptus leaves, does not provide enough on its own. This means that they may seek out insects and small animals, such as birds and their chicks, to meet their nutritional requirements.
The brushtail possum's rounded molars are adapted for crushing rather than cutting, which makes them well-suited for chewing fruit and herbs. This dental anatomy may also be advantageous for consuming insects and small animals, as it allows for crushing and breaking down food items into smaller pieces.
Overall, while the brushtail possum's diet primarily consists of plant matter, they may also consume insects, eggs, and meat on occasion, particularly in suburban environments or when their nutritional needs require a source of protein.
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In suburban areas, they eat almost anything
The common brushtail possum is the most familiar and abundant of the Australian possums. It is a large possum with a bushy tail and pointed ears. They are common in campgrounds, suburban backyards, and sometimes even in the ceilings of houses. The common brushtail possum is probably the best-known possum in Sydney because it has adapted to urban living and often comes into contact with people. They are highly vocal and communicate with each other through a wide variety of calls such as clicks, grunts, hisses, alarm chatters, guttural coughs, or screeching.
In most Australian habitats, eucalyptus leaves are a significant part of the diet, but rarely the sole item eaten. The common brushtail possum prefers eucalyptus leaves but also eats flowers, shoots, fruits, and seeds. They are more adapted to crushing their food, which enables them to chew fruit or herbs more effectively. Their diet provides them with adequate nitrogen.
The common brushtail possum is considered a pest in some areas as it is known to cause damage to pine plantations, regenerative forests, flowers, fruit trees, and buildings. They are also a host for the highly contagious bovine tuberculosis, which is not an issue in Australia, where the disease has been eradicated.
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Frequently asked questions
Australian brushtail possums are mainly herbivores and folivores, but they also eat flowers, fruits, seeds, and buds.
They have been known to eat insects, birds' eggs, chicks, and other small vertebrates like rats.
No, they are known to be inventive and determined foragers. In suburban areas, they may eat almost anything they can find, including from fruit trees and vegetable gardens.
Brushtail possums have rounded molars that are more adapted to crushing their food, which is why they can chew fruit and herbs more effectively.
No, they are common in suburban backyards and sometimes even in the ceilings of houses.
