Possums – like other inhabitants of the Wet Tropics rainforest in Queensland, Australia – have evolved to live in relatively cool conditions, so they are in a dangerous predicament as global warming sets in. These nocturnal marsupials have long, prehensile tails and are native to New Guinea and the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, as well as Australia. Usually arboreal, they come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and have some idiosyncratic habits. In Australia, the greatest diversity of possums is in the Wet Tropics. Here are some of the country’s finest examples. Joe Douglas
Read more: “Ghost of the cloud forest: Seeking the white possum”
Lemuroid ringtail possum
The lemuroid ringtail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides) is found only in two areas of the Wet Tropics rainforest – the Atherton tablelands at 450 metres or more above sea level, and further north in the Mount Carbine region, where it lives at altitudes above 1100 metres. Most of these possums are brown, but a white variant (pictured) makes up 40 per cent of the Mount Carbine population. The lemuroid ringtail has 25-millimetre-wide flaps of skin along its sides, a characteristic it shares with gliding possums. This explains the first part of its name: Hemibelideus means "half-glider". And this possum's facial features are closer to those of a lemur, which explains hence the second part. Its eyes give it away at night – they shine a striking yellow under bright torchlight.
(Image: Wet Tropics Images/Mike Trenerry)
Herbert river possum
Endemic to the Wet Tropics and the emblem of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, the Herbert river possum (Pseudocheirus herbertensis) is the poster child for Australia's rainforests. Despite its cute looks, it has the unappealing habit of eating its own faeces. Nutrients from its leafy diet are absorbed only the second time around, after the leaves have first been fermented with the help of symbiotic bacteria living in its specially enlarged intestines. The gut of the Herbert river possum is also home to up to 12 different species of tapeworm.
(Image: Craig Ingram/Alamy)
Using the thin folds of skin between its front and hind legs, the mahogany glider (Petaurus gracilis) can drift up to 60 metres through the canopy. Individuals live alone, patrolling their territory every two or three nights to mark their borders with urine and to spot newly fruiting or flowering trees. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as endangered. This is because logging and other manmade breaks in the canopy – roads and power lines, for example – disrupt the near continuous tree coverage that would allow the glider to travel to new habitats and multiply. It is also endemic to the rapidly warming Wet Tropics region, compounding the problem.
(Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Creative)
Long-tailed pygmy possum
The long-tailed pygmy possum (Cercartetus caudatus), found in New Guinea as well as the Wet Tropics, is appropriately named. Young weigh just 6 grams, or the weight of a pencil, when they emerge from the pouch and adults average around 30 grams – equivalent to a couple of CDs. Their tails, which are typically 50 per cent longer than their bodies, can be engorged with fat and act as a food store. In cold weather they spend the daytime in a death-like state – becoming stiff and cold to the touch, with their lips drawn back over their teeth – then awake at night to feed.
(Image: Tim Laman/NGS Creative)
The striped possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) likes to feed on insects, so it is adept at locating and removing larvae, ants and termites from trees. The possum's long incisors break through bark and branches, and an elongated tongue extracts the nutritious morsels inside. Its most remarkable feature, however, is its fourth finger, which is twice the length of the others and highly sensitive. It is thought that as the striped possum taps its paw against a tree, its fourth digit senses the pattern of vibrations, which reveals the presence of insects.
(Image: Michael Lynch/Alamy)