Common brushtail possum

빗자루꼬리주머니쥐

The common brushtail possum is a grey-furred marsupial of Australia, with large pointed ears and a bushy tail that grips branches. It feeds on leaves and fruit at night and is a common visitor to city gardens.

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At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Southeastern Australia (Victoria)
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 3 kg
Length: about 0.8 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: forests, towns & cities

Quick answers

Where does the Common brushtail possum live?

It lives in forests, towns & cities. On the globe you can find it near Southeastern Australia (Victoria).

How big is the Common brushtail possum?

It grows to about 0.8 m and 3 kg.

What does the Common brushtail possum eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Common brushtail possum endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The common brushtail possum is a nocturnal, tree-climbing marsupial that lives in Australia. It is the second-largest of the Australasian possums, with large pointed ears and a bushy tail. It is the Australian marsupial that city people most often see, because it manages well in towns as well as forests.

It comes in four colour varieties: silver-grey, brown, black and gold. Its scientific name is Trichosurus vulpecula, which comes from Greek and Latin for furry-tailed little fox. It can live in both forests and cities across Australia. It is the second-largest of the Australasian possums and eats mostly leaves. Its fur is thick and woolly.

A good climber

The tail is prehensile, which means it can grip branches, and has a bare patch underneath. The front feet have sharp claws, and the first toe of each back foot has no claw but a strong grasp. Its diet is mostly leaves, especially eucalyptus, with some fruit, and sometimes small animals. It spends the day asleep in a tree hollow or a roof and comes out at night to eat.

Friend and pest

In gardens, brushtails raid fruit trees and vegetable patches and even kitchens. In the 1850s the possum was brought to New Zealand to start a fur industry. There it had few natural enemies and spread so much that it became a serious pest of farms and native forest. Possums have large home ranges and can be heard hissing and growling at night. In some places, drought, disease and invasive animals have shrunk their range.

Fun facts

Brought to New Zealand in the 1800s for its fur, it has become a major pest there, numbering in the tens of millions.
It is a very common visitor to Australian city gardens.
In New Zealand it is an invasive pest.
Its tail is bare underneath so it grips like a hand.