Common brushtail possum

Brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula )

The brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) is the largest Kusu and in Australia most commonly encountered in cities marsupial.

Occurrence

Native he is in southern and eastern Australia. It is one of the few species that grows well in both cities as well as in a variety of natural and human- dominated landscapes. They are similar in many places such as raccoons in North America as an annoying roommate. Introduced to New Zealand they come there in large numbers, known as possums, and are considered a pest, who is blamed for the decimation of many flightless birds such as the kiwi.

Description

The brushtail possum is about 35-55 cm long and has a 25-40 cm long tail. The male weighs up to 4 kg, the females only 1.5-3.5 kg.

Nutrition

It eats mainly leaves, supplemented his diet but with fruits, invertebrates, flowers, buds and others. In the neighborhood of man will prove to be inventive food buyer with a taste for fruit trees, vegetable gardens and forays into kitchens. The content of Eucalyptus leaves in the diet will vary from less than 10% up to about 95 %, depending on the availability of other plant species.

Way of life

The brushtail possum is nocturnal. Tags of Kusu sleeps in a nest in a tree hollow or at another suitable place, like Kaninchenbaue, dandruff, can not be reliably sealed ceiling spaces in buildings are popular. Although they are mainly arboreal and do not occur in treeless areas, you will encounter them regularly on the ground.

The very loud, hissing reputation the males for aggressive defense of its territory committed, is truly scary at night. Animals have different vocal utterances consisting mainly of clicks. Usually they are relatively quiet.

Propagation

They form groups of about a dozen individuals with a dominant female at the top. The males guard the group when junior is. In the mating season, pulling both males and females around outside of their ancestral territory. The female gives birth after 17 days only a single baby per year. This is 4 months in the bag.

Use

Kusufelle were in 1900 under the name " Australian possum " very popular. Australia exported, for example, in 1906 4 million skins. European settlers led to fur production 1858-1920 more than 600 possums to New Zealand one. The so-called New Zealand Opossumfell or the wool of funds provided by the hunting of animals are measures, depending on market conditions, further recycled.

Kusus as a pest

Today there are in New Zealand because of the lack of natural predators around 70 million of there, " Possum " said animal. The alien species is ecologically undesirable. By possums are especially vulnerable broadleaf trees such as Rata, the animals cause damage to the tree crowns and supplement their diets with possibly young birds. You have only little influence on the southern beech ( Nothofagus ), but their presence reduces the biodiversity of the southern beech forest, as they decimate many of the other species occurring here.

Attempts to eradicate it or at least reduce their numbers were done with traps and poison, but are slow in success. Individuals were called upon to carry the fight against the pest. So recommended the Department of Conservation wide metal bands on trees to prevent climbing. Power poles are generally equipped with these bands. Live traps are recommended only if you are willing then to kill the animal.

The poisons used, usually sodium fluoroacetate, called in New Zealand " 1080 ", or sodium cyanide are even harmful to the environment. To prevent damage to young trees, you want to keep the number of individuals is very low, perhaps 5 percent of the existing number without intervention. The brushtail possum in New Zealand is seen as a major ecological threat, and environmental organizations calling for his extermination. The damages add up to those of other introduced species such as red deer and goats, as well as human activities such as agriculture, forestry and mining.

Swell

  • Cowan, P. E., et al. (1997). Effects of possum browsing on northern rata, Orongorongo Valley, Wellington, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 27, 173-179.
  • Marsh, KJ, Wallis, IR, & Foley, WJ ( 2003). The effect of inactivating tannins on the intake of Eucalyptus foliage by a specialist Eucalyptus folivore ( Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and a generalist herbivore ( Trichosurus vulpecula ). Australian Journal of Zoology, 51, 41-42.
  • Payton, I. J., et al. (1997). Response of selected tree species to culling of brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula Australian Introduced at Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand. Biological Conservation, 81, 247-255.
  • Rogers, G. M., & Leathwick, J. R. (1997). Factors predisposing forests to canopy collapse in the southern Ruahine Range, New Zealand. Biological Conservation, 80, 325-338
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