Coppery brushtail possum

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Coppery brushtail
File:Coppery Brushtail Possum (3625102158).jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Infraclass:
Order:
Suborder:
Family:
Subfamily:
Genus:
Species:
T. johnstonii
Binomial name
Trichosurus johnstonii
(Ramsay, 1888)

Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

The coppery brushtail possum (Trichosurus johnstonii) is a species of marsupial possum in the family Phalangeridae.[2] Coppery brushtails are found within the Atherton Tablelands area of Queensland, in northeastern Australia.[2][1] These mammals inhabit rainforest ecosystems, living within the tree canopy. Though they have a restricted distribution, they are locally common.[2] This population is often considered a subspecies of T. vulpecula.[1]

Description

Coppery brushtail possums have an average length of 400-490 mmm and weigh between 1200-1800 g, with males being larger and heavier than females.[3][4]

Ecology

Like the Common brushtail possum, coppery brushtails are nocturnal, and live in dens, which are usually tree hollows. At night they will still spend half of their time resting in order to conserve energy, and the other half in foraging.[5] It was found in feeding experiments that in selecting their food, these possums may tend to select a mix of plant materials with detoxification requirements that are correlated or independent, rather than contradictory, thus maximizing their ability to process harmful plant by-products.[6]

Dominance among individuals tends to place females above males, and larger over smaller individuals.[7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.