Lexi Webster
The common ringtail possum, or the Eastern Ringtail Possum, is a well-known Australian marsupial, particularly to residents of Sydney and Eastern Australia. These possums are predominantly found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. They are about the size of a cat, with grey or black fur, and a long prehensile tail with a distinctive white tip. The common ringtail possum is nocturnal and arboreal, spending most of its time in trees. It has adapted well to living in close association with humans and is often seen in suburban gardens at night. This possum has a unique digestive system, which allows it to gain more protein and extract maximum nutrients from its food. So, what does the Australian ring-tailed possum eat?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Leaves, flowers, fruits, sap, and caecotropes (material fermented in the caecum and expelled during the day) |
| Eating Habits | Nocturnal, arboreal, and eat by climbing trees with their prehensile tails and grasping objects with their opposable thumbs |
| Habitat | Forests, woodlands, rainforests, dense scrub, suburban gardens, and roof spaces of houses in urban areas |
| Food Sources | Myrtaceae family of plants, cypress pine, wattles, eucalyptus trees, and garden plants including roses and fruit trees |
| Eating Behaviour | Re-ingests caecotropes to extract maximum nutrients and maintain energy balance |
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What You'll Learn
Leaves, flowers, and fruits
The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial that lives in a variety of habitats, including forests, woodlands, rainforests, dense scrub, suburban gardens, and even roof spaces in urban areas. This adaptable creature is predominantly herbivorous, and its diet includes a variety of leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Leaves form a significant part of the ringtail possum's diet. They feed on the foliage of various plants, including shrubs and trees from the Myrtaceae family. In particular, they favour young, tender leaves over older ones. One of their preferred food sources is the emerging leaves of the eucalyptus tree, which are richer in nitrogen and have less dense cell walls, making them a nutritious and energy-dense option.
In addition to eucalyptus, ringtail possums also consume the leaves of other trees and plants. For example, some populations are known to feed on the leaves of cypress pine (Callitris) and wattles (Acacia spp.). They may also forage for leaves in the canopy of peppermint (Agonis flexuosa) trees, where Western Ringtail Possums are known to reside.
When it comes to flowers, the ringtail possum does not discriminate. They feed on a variety of flowers from the Myrtaceae family, including those found on shrubs and lower canopy plants. One study found an interesting correlation between the emergence of young possums from their pouches and the flowering of certain plants, such as the tea-tree (Leptospermum). This suggests that the flowering and fruiting of certain plants may play a role in the dietary habits of ringtail possums during specific stages of their life cycle.
Fruits are also an important part of the ringtail possum's diet. While specific fruit preferences may vary, they are known to feed on the fruits of various plants, including those in suburban gardens. For example, Western Ringtail Possums have been observed feeding on garden plants, including roses and fruit trees.
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Eating their faecal pellets
The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial that lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves, flowers, fruits, and sap. It is well adapted to arboreal life and relies on its prehensile tail to climb and jump between branches.
One of the most interesting behaviours of the common ringtail possum is its practice of eating its faecal pellets, also known as caecotrophy. This behaviour allows the possum to extract the maximum amount of nutrients from its food by digesting it twice. During the day, when the possum is resting, it expels material that has been fermented in the caecum, creating faecal pellets known as caecotropes. The possum then re-ingests these caecotropes, allowing it to gain more protein and maintain its energy balance. This process is similar to that observed in rabbits and other lagomorphs.
The ringtail possum's digestive system is unique when compared to other Australian marsupials, such as the koala and the greater glider. By re-ingesting its caecotropes, the possum is able to gain much of its daily maintenance nitrogen requirement (MNR), which would otherwise need to be obtained from other sources. This adaptation helps the possum survive in a variety of habitats and ensures it gets the necessary nutrients from its diet.
The practice of eating faecal pellets may seem unusual, but it is a natural and beneficial behaviour for the common ringtail possum. It allows them to maximise their nutrient intake and adapt to different environments, contributing to their survival and success as a species. This behaviour also highlights the possum's ability to utilise all available resources efficiently, demonstrating their resilience and adaptability in the wild.
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Consuming nitrogen-rich caecotropes
The common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is a species of Australian marsupial that occupies a variety of habitats, including forests, woodlands, rainforests, dense scrub, and suburban gardens. It is well-adapted to arboreal life and is primarily nocturnal. The common ringtail possum has a distinctive appearance with grey or black fur, white patches behind the eyes, and a long prehensile tail with a white tip.
One unique aspect of the common ringtail possum's behaviour is its consumption of caecotropes, also known as caecotrophy. Caecotropes are soft faecal pellets that are expelled during the daytime while the possum is resting in its nest. This behaviour is similar to that observed in rabbits and other lagomorphs.
By re-ingesting caecotropes, the common ringtail possum is able to maintain its energy balance and gain much of its required daily nitrogen intake. This process allows the possum to recycle urea from its liver, converting it into bacterial protein that can be digested in the stomach and absorbed in the small intestine. This adaptation enables the possum to survive on a diet of low-nitrogen eucalyptus leaves, which are a preferred food source in their natural habitat.
The re-ingestion of caecotropes also has the added benefit of water conservation, as the possum can urinate less frequently. Furthermore, during the second phase of lactation, when solid foods are introduced to the young, the re-ingestion of caecotropes helps to supplement the possum's diet with additional protein, which is particularly important for the developing offspring.
In summary, the consumption of nitrogen-rich caecotropes is a distinctive behaviour of the common ringtail possum that allows it to maintain its energy and nitrogen balance, adapt to its preferred habitat, and support the nutritional needs of its offspring. This behaviour is an important aspect of the possum's lifestyle and contributes to its survival and ecological role in Australian ecosystems.
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Foraging for young leaves
The common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial that lives in a variety of habitats, including forests, woodlands, rainforests, dense scrub, suburban gardens, and even roof spaces in urban areas. They are predominantly herbivores and forage for their food in the treetops, particularly in the canopy of eucalyptus trees.
Ringtail possums are arboreal, spending most of their time in trees and relying on their prehensile tails to move around and grasp objects. They are also nocturnal, sleeping during the day in spherical nests made of grass and shredded bark, called dreys.
When it comes to their diet, ringtail possums eat a variety of young leaves, flowers, and fruits from shrubs and the lower canopy. They prefer young leaves over old ones and are known to feed on the foliage of plants in the family Myrtaceae. This includes shrubs like cypress pine (Callitris) and wattles (Acacia spp.), as well as plant gum or resins.
One interesting fact about the ringtail possum's diet is their preference for young eucalypt leaves. These leaves are richer in nitrogen and have less dense cell walls than older leaves. However, the protein gained from them is reduced due to higher amounts of tannins. Ringtail possums also consume caecotropes, which are material fermented in the caecum and expelled during the day while the possum is resting in its nest. This behaviour, known as caecotrophy, allows the possum to extract maximum nutrients from its food by digesting it twice.
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Eating garden plants
Ringtail possums are arboreal, meaning they live in the treetops, and prefer areas of dense foliage (leaf cover) for protection. They are also found in suburban gardens, where they can become a nuisance to gardeners. Ringtails have been known to eat a variety of plants, flowers, and soft fruits found in gardens and foliage beds. They tend to favour newer growth and young leaves, which can be especially frustrating for gardeners who consider them a pest.
Ringtail possums are folivores, a type of herbivore that mainly eats leaves. They are one of the three Australian mammals that can survive just by eating toxic eucalypt leaves. They prefer to feed on eucalyptus leaves and have the densest populations in areas where these trees are found. They also eat flowers, fruits, and leaves from other trees and shrubs lower in the rainforest canopy.
In urban areas, ringtail possums have been known to eat roses and fruit trees. They are also known to eat carrots, yams, waxmoth larvae, sprouted seeds, dry dog kibble, shelled almonds, and hard-boiled eggs.
As they feed on flowers, pollen gets trapped in their fur. As the possum moves around, it transfers this pollen to other flowers it makes contact with, helping to pollinate plants.
To prevent ringtail possums from eating garden plants, it is recommended to plant a variety of native vegetation such as eucalypts, bottlebrushes, tea trees, banksias, grevilleas, and wattles to ensure native wildlife has plenty of natural foods to eat.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian ring-tailed possum is a herbivore and eats a variety of leaves, flowers, and fruits.
They eat leaves from both native and introduced plants, including cypress pine (Callitris) and wattles (Acacia spp.).
They eat flowers and fruits from shrubs and lower canopy plants in the Myrtaceae family.
Yes, they also consume plant gum or resins, and sap.
Ring-tailed possums eat their own faecal pellets, allowing them to extract the maximum amount of nutrients by digesting their food twice.
