Western ringtail possum
Western ringtail possum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
Order: | Diprotodontia |
Family: | Pseudocheiridae |
Genus: | Pseudocheirus |
Species: | P. occidentalis
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Binomial name | |
Pseudocheirus occidentalis (Thomas, 1888)
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Western Ringtail Possum range | |
Synonyms | |
Pseudochirus occidentalis Thomas, 1888 |
The western ringtail possum or ngwayir (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) is a species of possum found in a small area of
Taxonomy
A description of the species was published in 1888 by
The original description of the western population was as a separate species, Pseudocheirus occidentalis,[4] although it is also noted as a subspecies or member of a Pseudocheirus peregrinus species complex.[5][6]
Common names include the western ringtail possum, ngwayir, womp, woder, ngoor and ngoolangit.
Description
Western ringtails are largely-arboreal marsupials smaller than the size of a domestic cat, with stocky bodies, grasping feet and a strong, prehensile tail. The profile of the black back and rump slopes toward a prehensile tail that tapers to a fine white point. The species has a head and body length of 320–400 mm, a tail length of 300–400 mm, and a weight of 750 to 1350 g.[9] Pseudocheirus occidentalis has dark grey-brown-black fur with light patches behind the ears and a creamy white, sometimes greyish, colour at the underside of the body that extends to the chest and throat. It differs from the common ringtail possum found on the east of the continent, by lacking any rufous colouration in the fur.[9]
Distribution and habitat
The western ringtail is endemic to south-western Western Australia where it is now found in three main areas; the Swan Coastal Plain, Southern Forests around Manjimup, and the South Coast between Walpole and Cheynes Beach.[10]
In the Swan Coastal Plain and South Coast, the species favours habitat dominated by
Urban populations surveyed in the city of Albany have revealed an average individual range of 0.88 hectares, moving from their dreys in the day to their preferred night-time habitat in eucalypts. The study demonstrated that populations varied in their use of habitat and the size of the range was dependent on qualities such as the extent and connections of the canopy cover in its favoured tree species.[13]
Since colonial settlement it has undergone a substantial range contraction, up to 90 per cent of the predicted original range.[10][14] Archaeological records and known locations estimate a historical range that extended southwest from Geraldton to the Hampton Tableland, 200 km west of the border of South Australia.[8]
Behaviour
The western ringtail is an
Western ringtails are
Births occur mainly in winter to spring, where usually one young is raised to maturity, although twins may be present in the pouch. Juveniles emerge from the pouch at about three months of age, when they weigh about 125 g, and suckle until they are 6–7 months old, weighing about 550 g.[15] In the wild, western ringtail life spans has been recorded as up to four years in a jarrah forest, and six years on the Swan Coastal Plain, while in captivity, a female under care in a rehabilitation facility lived for nine years.[8]
The species will attempt to cross roadways within their foraging range, which leads to a high degree of fatalities as
Conservation
Three "key management zones" have been identified as known to support significant numbers of western ringtail possums.[10] These include the Swan Coastal Plain, Southern Forests around Manjimup, and the South Coast between Walpole and Cheynes Beach.[10] Within these zones, the threats to western ringtails are complex, interactive and often population-specific.[10] These threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, introduced predators (particularly the red fox), climate change, timber harvesting, and inappropriate fire regimes.[10]
In 2017, the conservation status of the species was re-assessed by the
References
- . Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ a b c Thomas, O. (1888). Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). London: Printed by order of the Trustees. p. 116.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Thomas, O (1888). Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). London: Trustees of British Museum (Nat. History).
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c "Pseudocheirus occidentalis – Western Ringtail Possum". Species Profile and Threats Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
- ^ Abbott, Ian (2001). "Aboriginal names of mammal species in south-west Western Australia". CALMScience. 3 (4): 439, 456.
- ^ a b c d Department of Parks and Wildlife (2017). Western Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) Recovery Plan. Wildlife Management Program No.58. Perth, WA.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 9780195573954.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Department of Parks and Wildlife (2017). "Western Ringtail Possum (Pseduocheirus occidentalis) Recovery Plan. Wildlife Management Program No. 58. February 2017" (PDF). Western Ringtail Possum (Pseduocheirus occidentalis) Recovery Plan 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ a b Balaam, Kellie (10 December 2020). "UWA study finds Albany backyards are an important haven for possums". Albany Advertiser. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Loney, Georgia (6 April 2021). "Western ringtail possum being saved from extinction in bountiful Busselton backyards". ABC South West WA. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ ISSN 1836-7402.
- ^ Jones, B.A. (2004). "The possum fauna of Western Australia: decline, persistence and status". In Goldingay, R.L.; Jackson, S.M. (eds.). The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders. Chipping Norton: Surrey Beatty & Sons. pp. 149–160.
- ^ a b "Naturebase documents: Western Ringtail Possum" (PDF). Retrieved 3 December 2007.
- ^ .
- ISSN 1314-3301.
- doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T18492A21963100.en.)
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(help - ^ Biota Environmental Sciences (2020). "Western Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus occidentalis Regional Surveys" (PDF). Western Ringtail Possum Survey Rev 0. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Smith, Shannon (21 May 2021). "Spotlight on western ringtail possums living in urban areas". Albany Advertiser. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Nature Conservation Margaret River Region. "Western Ringtail Possums and Your Property: A Guide to Conserve and Encourage Them On Your Patch" (PDF). WRP-and-your-property-A5-booklet.pdf. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Steven, Rochelle; Threatened Species Recovery Hub; National Environmental Science Programme. "Citizen Science for the Western ringtail possum" (PDF). 6-5-living-with-ringtail-possums_v5f.pdf. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Further reading
- Bader, J.C.; Van Helden, B.E.; Close, P.G.; Speldewinde, P.C.; Comer, S.J. (12 June 2019). "Sheoak Woodlands: A Newly Identified Habitat for Western Ringtail Possums". The Journal of Wildlife Management. 83 (5): 1254–1260. S2CID 196678982.
- "Pseudocheirus occidentalis". Atlas of Living Australia. bie.ala.org.au. Retrieved 19 June 2019.