Australian possums are much more than just brushies and ringtails, and they include a diverse group of animals with some incredible abilities that perform vitally important ecological roles. So it is time to consider that a possum or glider should be crowned the Australian Mammal of the Year.
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While Australian possums might not have the most creative English names, fortunately evolution has been more interesting, resulting in a diverse range of appearances, abilities, and ecology within the group. They range in size from the world's smallest possum, the little pygmy possum at 7-10g and 50-75mm long through to the generously weighted brushtail possum species weighing up to 4500g, and the greater glider that can measure up to a metre long (that's including its very long feather boa of a tail).
Having evolved adaptations for living in trees and shrubs, possums are basically Australia's equivalent to primates such as monkeys and lemurs, which occur in other parts of the world. As such, possums fill similar ecological roles to many primates including seed dispersal, pollination or being prey to predators. Some possums have also evolved similar physical traits to primates including opposable thumbs, a prehensile tail, and big toes, to help them grasp branches and food.
One striking example of convergent evolution between possums and primates is the striped possum, which lives in far northern Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and shares common traits with the disturbingly unique looking aye-aye lemur of Madagascar.
The gliding ability displayed by more than a third of Australia's possum species, (thanks to 'patagia': skin membranes between the forelimbs and hindlimbs), is arguably the most remarkable physical adaptation among possums. It allows them to efficiently navigate their tree-top environment and evade predators. Australia contains the world's smallest gliding mammal species, the broad-toed and narrow-toed feathertail glider weighing 13g (that's about as heavy as a AAA battery), and the world's largest gliding marsupial the greater glider which weighs up to 1.5kg and can glide 100 metres!
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Other interesting traits of some possums include the bristled tongue of the honey possum that helps them to feed on nectar and pollen, making them the only truly nectivorous mammal other than some bats. This trait makes honey possums important pollinators of flowering plants in southwestern Western Australia. The feathertail glider is also specially adapted to its environment by being able to climb smooth vertical surfaces (it can even climb glass), thanks to sweat glands on their feet creating surface tension and allowing their footpads to act like suction cups!
Although many of Australia's possums are probably unfamiliar to most people, recent media stories have brought attention to the plight of some of the most threatened species including the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum, mountain pygmy possum, and the vulnerable greater glider. Many of Australia's possums are threatened by habitat loss from logging and land clearing for livestock farming and mining, loss of tree hollows, climate change, inappropriate fire regimes, and introduced predators such as foxes and cats. Despite increased awareness among land managers, decision makers, and the public of the threats facing some of Australia's possum species, manageable threats impacting some species continue unabated.
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