Phalangeriformes: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Berichard (talk | contribs)
2,312 edits
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 25: Line 25:
}}
}}


A '''possum''' is any of about 63 small to medium-sized [[arboreal]] [[marsupial]] [[species]] native to [[Australia]], [[New Guinea]] and [[Sulawesi]]. The name derives from their resemblance to the [[opossum]]s of [[the Americas]] and, unlike most names applied to Australian fauna in the early years of [[History of Australia|European colonisation]], happens to be accurate: the [[opossum]]s of America are distant relatives. (The name is from [[Algonquian]] ''wapathemwa'', not [[Greek language|Greek]] or [[Latin]], so the plural is ''possums'', not ''possa''.) ''Possum'' is also used in North America as a diminutive for the [[Virginia Opossum]]. The Possum's rank odour is due to its over-sized musk glands located behind each ear.
A '''possum''' is any of about 63 small to medium-sized [[arboreal]] [[marsupial]] [[species]] native to [[Australia]], [[New Guinea]] and [[Sulawesi]]. The name derives from their resemblance to the [[opossum]]s of [[the Americas]] and, unlike most names applied to Australian fauna in the early years of [[History of Australia|European colonisation]], happens to be accurate: the [[opossum]]s of America are distant relatives. (The name is from [[Algonquian]] ''wapathemwa'', not [[Greek language|Greek]] or [[Latin]], so the plural is ''possums'', not ''possa''.) ''Possum'' is also used in North America as a diminutive for the [[Virginia Opossum]]. The Possum's rank odour is due to its over-sized musk glands located behind each ear. Some people may mistake the possum for the word Bussom. This is definitively not the case. Possums have no relationship with the word boob or anything related to boobs, such as viginas.


Possums are small marsupials with brown or grey fur, ranging in size from the length of a finger ([[pygmy possum]]s and [[wrist-winged glider]]s), to the length of a forearm (brushtails and ringtails). All possums are [[nocturnal]] and [[omnivorous]], hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that [[squirrel]]s fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.
Possums are small marsupials with brown or grey fur, ranging in size from the length of a finger ([[pygmy possum]]s and [[wrist-winged glider]]s), to the length of a forearm (brushtails and ringtails). All possums are [[nocturnal]] and [[omnivorous]], hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that [[squirrel]]s fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.

Revision as of 02:05, 12 January 2007

For other uses, see Phalangeriformes (disambiguation).

Possums
Common Brushtail Possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Infraclass:
Marsupialia
Order:
Diprotodontia
Suborder:
Phalangeriformes

Superfamilies and Families

Phalangeroidea

Petauroidea

A possum is any of about 63 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea and Sulawesi. The name derives from their resemblance to the opossums of the Americas and, unlike most names applied to Australian fauna in the early years of European colonisation, happens to be accurate: the opossums of America are distant relatives. (The name is from Algonquian wapathemwa, not Greek or Latin, so the plural is possums, not possa.) Possum is also used in North America as a diminutive for the Virginia Opossum. The Possum's rank odour is due to its over-sized musk glands located behind each ear. Some people may mistake the possum for the word Bussom. This is definitively not the case. Possums have no relationship with the word boob or anything related to boobs, such as viginas.

Possums are small marsupials with brown or grey fur, ranging in size from the length of a finger (pygmy possums and wrist-winged gliders), to the length of a forearm (brushtails and ringtails). All possums are nocturnal and omnivorous, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They fill much the same role in the Australian ecosystem that squirrels fill in the northern hemisphere and are broadly similar in appearance.

The two most common species of possums, the Common Brushtail and Common Ringtail, are also among the largest.

Interaction with humans

The animal has been a part of Australian culture and folklore since the original indigenous inhabitants of the country. Indigenous Australians once used possum hides whilst playing the traditional game of Marn Grook. Possum-skin cloaks were important clothing for Aborigines from the south-east, as well as being important clan heirlooms.

In modern times, the phrase "Hello possums!" made famous by satirist Barry Humphries' character Dame Edna Everage has become a celebrated catchphrase.

Possums are commonly found in suburban areas, where they are often considered pests owing to their habit of eating fruit, vegetables, flowers and tender young shoots from gardens, and nesting in roofs. The loud hissing, crackling territorial call of the male Common Brushtail may also be a problem for suburban residents. Natural deterrents which play upon the possum's acute sense of smell are often employed to discourage them. These include cloves of garlic, camphor or naphthalene. As a native species possums are protected by regulations, even when they reside in urban neighbourhoods, and cannot be baited. They cannot be killed as pests, and if captured the regulations stipulate that they must be released within a small radius of that locality, since they are territorial creatures. Preventative measures such as blocking off their access to the roof spaces or building a possum nesting box for an alternative home are instead recommended.

Although the Common Brushtail and (to a lesser extent) ringtail possums have adapted well to the urban environment, many of the lesser-known species are reduced in number, threatened, or endangered.

This possum is not worried about the bright light nor the camera flash -- he is in a tree.

Introduction into New Zealand

The Common Brushtail Possum was introduced to New Zealand by Europeans to establish a fur industry.

They soon escaped into the wild where they have thrived as an invasive species with great numbers: around 60 million individuals estimated. There are few native predators of the possum in New Zealand. There have been numerous attempts to eradicate them because of the damage they do to native trees and wildlife, as well as acting as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis. For New Zealand, the introduction of possums has resulted in as much of an ecological disaster as the introduction of rabbits has been in Australia.

Classification

About two-thirds of Australian marsupials belong to the order Diprotodontia, which is split into three suborders: the Vombatiformes (wombats and the Koala, 4 species in total); the large and diverse Phalangeriformes (the possums and gliders) and Macropodiformes (kangaroos, potoroos, wallabies and the Musky Rat-kangaroo).

References

  • Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 44–56. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phalangeriformes&oldid=100134668"