Two Possum Species!

In 2004 it was discovered that possum has been playing tricks with science for nearly two centuries. Since it was first described by biologists in the early 1800s, the mountain brushtail possum was thought to be one species that lived in cool high forest from Melbourne to Gladstone in Queensland.

But Queenslanders being Queenslanders always had another name for their animal - the short-eared possum. Now 15 years of scientific research has proved what many people have long suspected: things are different in the north, for possums at least.

What science now knows is that there are two species: Trichosurus cunninghami south of Sydney and the newly described Trichosurus caninus, which is found from northern NSW to central Queensland.

To vindicate the Queenslanders, their animal is now known as the northern short-eared possum.
Possum expert Professor David Lindenmayer from Canberra's Australian National University, who led the research, said that although many people confuse the two animals with the common brushtail, the Trichosurus vulpecula, the mountain and short-eared possums had very different behaviour and biology.

"The common brushtail is now quite uncommon in the bush, they mostly now live in cities and suburbs," Professor Lindenmayer said. "It is also about 30 per cent smaller and lives from seven to 10 years, while these two species live up to 17.

"The mountain and short-eared possums also have quite stable, settled territories and, compared to the common brushtail, invest a lot more into rearing their young."
But he said it wasn't until they carried out body measurement and DNA analysis that they were able to prove that the northern and southern animals were different species.