Pygmy Possum Diet
Species of the week: Mountain Pygmy Possum
Cute but tough, the mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) is a highly unusual marsupial and the largest of Australia’s five pygmy possums. Unlike most possums, the mountain pygmy possum is not arboreal, although it can easily climb shrubs and has a prehensile tail. This nocturnal species spends the day curled up into a ball to retain heat. True to its name, the mountain pygmy possum lives amongst rock screes and boulderfields in the ‘Australian Alps.’ It can be found at elevations of 1,500-1,800 meters, where the climate is cold and wet, with frequent snow-falls and powerful winds.
Despite been first describe in 1896 from fossils, the species was assumed to be extinct for several decades. In 1966 after several sighting at ski lodges a specimen was taken to a museum for identification. They discovered it was related to the fossil but did not believe the species could possibly live at such a high altitudes. Because people kept looking in the wrong place, at lower altitudes, no more specimens were found until 1970 when they realised that these animals indeed inhabit the rocky mountaintops.
Living at high altitude, the species hibernates under a blanket of snow during the winter months (May to September). During this time the animals live off fat reserves built up during the ‘active period’ Possums are nocturnal and during the ‘active season’, which runs from October to April, will feed primarily on the high energy Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa), which arrives in the Australian Alps in large numbers in the summer months. In the late summer and autumn, when there are fewer moths around, these pygmy-possums switch their diet to seeds and berries.
Not only does this species live in an extreme environment; but it is also one of the longest living small terrestrial mammals known, with females being able to live for over 12 years. The social females occupy communal nesting sites and have overlapping ranges while the males are more nomadic, coming in contact with females mostly to breed. This takes place at the start of the ‘active season’ when there is plenty of high energy food available. Females give birth to four young which develop in the pouch for a few weeks before being transferred to a grass nest.
It is currently believed that there are fewer than 2,000 individuals left of this critically endangered species. The Mountain Pygmy Possum is restricted to three geographically isolated populations in south east Australia. The species’ habitat is being destroyed or fragmented by rock extraction for dam/aqueduct construction and the development of infrastructure for the downhill skiing industry. Furthermore, this species reliance on snow-fall for insulation during hibernation means its suitable habitat is decreasing as a result of global warming.
Find out how you can support EDGE save extraordinary species such as the mountain pygmy possum here.
Once believed to be extinct, the mountain pygmy possum was rediscovered in 1966 and is now classified as endangered. It is the world’s only marsupial that hibernates. It is also the only Australian mammal that lives exclusively in alpine and sub-alpine regions, where snow remains for up to six months at a time.
Location: The mountain pygmy possum is found only in Australia’s snow covered alpine and sub-alpine region above 1400 metres in Victoria and New South Wales.
Habitat: females usually live among the mountain plume-pine vegetation growing in and around the higher boulder-fields. The males and some of the young live in poorer habitats lower on the mountain.
Physical Description: The Mountain Pygmy-possum is the largest of Australia’s five species of pygmy-possum, yet it only weighs 45 grams and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. Its mouse-like body is covered in thick greyish fur, it has a long tail, agile front feet designed for gathering food, and strong back feet for gripping. It also has enlarged front teeth for cracking seeds.
Diet: The Mountain Pygmy-possum scurries about at night during the short alpine spring and summer months, building up fat reserves by feeding mostly on rich Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa). At other times of the year it is more opportunistic, supplementing this diet with seeds and fruit of plants like the Mountain Plum pine, Rambling Bramble and Snow Beard-heath. During hibernation in the snow season, between April and October, the possum feeds from a hidden cache
of stored seeds and nuts.
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