Plants and Animals

Introduction

For many Victorians sharing your property with possums is a fact of life. A possum in your roof or eating your flowers can be very frustrating, but people and possums can live together successfully. In fact, learning about the 'other family' that shares your property can be both educational and fun.

Like people, possums are well suited to living in the suburbs. The trees and gardens around our houses provide a modified woodland similar to their natural habitat.

There are two types of possums in urban areas. The Common Brushtail Possum, (Trichosurus vulpecula) is the size of a cat. It has large pointed ears, grey fur and a bushy black tail. Brushtail possums have a single young born in autumn or spring. The baby spends around six months in the pouch, one to two months riding on its mother's back until it is weaned and leaves the maternal den between seven to sixteen months of age.

The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is much smaller, about half the size of a cat. Ringtail possums have round ears, a grey back with rusty sides and a curled tail with a white tip. They have one to three young, mostly twins, born during autumn or winter.

Ringtail possums usually build a nest of twigs and leaves, called a drey, several metres above the ground. They rarely enter house roofs. Possums eat the leaves, flowers and fruits of a wide variety of native and exotic trees and shrubs. The Common Brushtail Possum may also eat grass, fungi, bird's eggs and baby birds. Never feed possums. Human food can be dangerous to possums and cause serious dietary imbalance.

Contents

| Introduction | Possums in Your Roof | Possums in Your Garden | Trapping Possums | Possums and the Law