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Common ringtail - PSEUDOCHEIRUS PEREGRINUS
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Possum": The ringtail, which derives its name from its curled tail, is often called a ringtail possum. The word "opossum" was taken from the Algonquian Indian word for the animal. Although other animals in South America and Australia are called "possums," they are not closely related to the Virginia animal, and only derive their name by dint of a generally similar shape. True opossums are unique to North America.
Location: Eastern coastal Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania.
Habitat: Arboreal. Rain forests, eucalypt forests, and woodlands.
Description: The ringtail is a relatively slender possum of house-cat size and a long tapering, prehensile tail. Its thumb and adjacent forefinger are opposable to the other three digits. Its color varies, but it is generally gray-brown above and beige on the belly, with white patch behind the ears. The tail is tipped white, and is usually curled in a "ring." Its head and body length is 11"to 14" and it weighs up to 3 lbs.
Behavior: The ringtail is the most common of thirteen species found in New Guinea and Australia. It is most active between dusk and midnight. Its name is derived from its habit of holding its tail curled when not using it for climbing. It builds a nest about a foot in diameter from leaves, grass, and twigs, which it places among branches in a tree or the forks of heavy shrubs or clumps of mistletoe. Both males and females work on the nest, which may be built at any time of the year. The ringtail is strictly herbivorous, feeding on the leaves and buds of trees, primarily eucalyptus and acacia.
Reproduction: Females usually produce one litter per year between May and August. There can be one to three babies, but most commonly two, which leave the pouch permanently after about 120 days.
Go to the Marsupials Page to get a general discussion of these animals.
Or compare and contrast the Ringtail with other Opossums.
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