General Description
Body fur grey-fawn and white underneath. Nose area pink. Dark ring of fur around eye and rounded ears. Tail coiled and sometimes swollen at the base. Body up to 10 cm, tail up to 10 cm.
Biology
Eastern Pygmy Possums feed on insects, nectar and pollen. They store food at the base of their tail, making it fatter than the tip. They can become inactive in winter, entering a state called torpor, sometimes inside vacated birds' nests, particularly those that are domed-shaped, such as the Brown Thornbill. They usually breed in summer.
Distribution
South-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.
Habitat
Forests, heathy woodlands, coastal scrub and wet heath.
More Information
-
Animal Type
-
Animal SubType
-
Brief Id
A tiny, nocturnal, tree-dwelling possum with large forward-facing eyes and a coiled tail.
-
Colours
Grey, White
-
Habitats
-
Where To Look
-
When Active
Nocturnal
-
Diet
Carnivore
-
Diet Categories
Nectar, Insects, Arthropods, Fruit
-
Endemicity
-
Commercial
No
-
Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, EPBC Act 1999: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Least concern
-
Taxon Name
-
Common Name
Eastern Pygmy Possum
-
Kingdom
-
Phylum
-
Subphylum
-
Class
-
Superorder
-
Order
-
Suborder
-
Superfamily
-
Family
-
Genus
-
Species Name
nanus