Ring-tailed climbing bagler
| Ring-tailed climbing bagler | ||||||||||||
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Ring-tailed climbing bag ( Pseudocheirus ) |
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| Pseudocheirus | ||||||||||||
| Ogilby , 1837 |
The curly tail-Kletterbeutler ( Pseudocheirus ), and curly tail Beutler called, are a marsupial genus of the family of pseudocheiridae (Pseudocheiridae).
description
Ring-tailed climbing bags are among the smaller members of their family. They reach a head body length of 29 to 40 centimeters and a weight of 700 to 1300 grams. Their 29 to 41 centimeters long tail can be used as a prehensile tail and is often curled around branches, this behavior the animals owe their name to. The color of the fur can vary widely, from gray to reddish brown, but the underside is usually lighter. The hallmarks are the white tufts of ears and the white tip of the tail. Like most ring baggers, they are characterized by their small head with short ears and special front paws, where the first two fingers can be opposed .
distribution and habitat
Ring-tailed climbing pouches occur along the east coast of Australia , on the southwest tip of Western Australia and on Tasmania . On the east coast, their distribution area extends from Queensland to southeastern South Australia . Their habitat is primarily forests, they can be found in both rain and eucalyptus forests , sometimes even in bushland, although they generally avoid habitats that are too dry.
Way of life
Ring-tailed climbing sacs are nocturnal. During the day they sleep in a nest that they have built from leaves, bark and ferns, and sometimes in tree hollows that they line with leaves. They rarely get to the ground and are pronounced tree dwellers, where the grasping abilities of their front paws and the prehensile tail help them. In contrast to most other ring-tailed climbing bags, ring-tailed climbing bags usually live in small groups. These consist of one male, one or two females and their offspring.
These animals are primarily leaf-eaters, but they also consume flowers, buds, nectar and fruits.
Reproduction
The females have a well-developed, forward-opened pouch with four teats. Once or twice a year the female gives birth to one to three young animals that spend their first four months in the pouch. They are finally weaned at six to seven months, and sexual maturity occurs at around one year. Their life expectancy rarely exceeds three to four years in the wild, and they can live up to eight years in captivity.
threat
Ring-tailed climbing bags are sometimes found in the suburbs of larger cities, but in contrast to the Kusus they avoid human proximity and are not considered a nuisance. Many animals fall victim to traffic or being stalked by stray cats. In some regions, for example Western Australia or Victoria , they have become rare as a result of habitat loss, but in general they are not endangered species.
Systematics
The closest relatives of the ring-tailed climbing pouches are the New Guinea and Queensland ring-pouches ( Pseudochirulus ), which in some classifications are classified in the same genus ( Pseudocheirus ). The Grünen Ringbeutler ( Pseudochirops ) were previously also classified in Pseudocheirus , but are only distantly related according to recent studies.
There are two types of ring-tailed climbing bags:
- Eastern ring-tailed buccaneer ( Pseudocheirus peregrinus )
- Western ring-tailed bucket ( Pseudocheirus occidentalis )
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Stephen Jackson: Family Pseudocheiridae (Ring-tailed Possums and Greater Gliders). Pages 527-528 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6
