Here in Western Australia, when the word possum is mentioned, thoughts immediately go to our common brushtail possums, or the critically endangered Western ringtail possum. Lesser known to the public are the pygmy possums of Australia, such as the Western Pygmy Possum (pictured at the end of the article - photo taken at Perup, Western Australia).
The Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus concinnus) is a small, largely nectarivorous marsupial, found across much of southern Australia including south-western Australia (which is also a biodiversity hotspot!). Despite being relatively widespread, populations are still poorly understood, and new discoveries in recent years suggest they may be found in more places than we know. They are a cryptic, nocturnal, and small species of marsupial growing to only around 13 g, and inhabit rather dense woodland, heath and forests, making the study and identification of these animals difficult. Despite this, they have attracted the attention of the scientific world, with one area of interest being their ability to enter an almost hibernation like state, called torpor. Torpor itself is a decrease in physiological activity of an animal usually in response to a reduction in ambient temperature, and/or food availability. Unlike hibernation however, many animals, including the Western Pygmy Possum utilise torpor throughout various seasons, not just during winter. Turner & Geiser (2017) utilised laboratory studies to better understand the drivers of torpor in the pygmy possum. Although food availability is often seen as a driver to enter torpor, Turner & Geiser (2017) found that photoperiod (day-length) may have been a more important environmental cue, and that Western Pygmy Possums may undertake torpor as part of their everyday energy budgeting regardless of food availability. So it seems, just like us, the Western Pygmy Possum love a good snooze! Further reading
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AuthorMy name is Garry and I am extremely passionate about the environment. I have completed my BSc. Conservation and Wildlife Biology with First Class Honours and have worked in the Environment sector since 2009. Archives
September 2019
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Photos used under Creative Commons from sean.kelleher1, BioDivLibrary, BioDivLibrary