One of Australia's cutest animals is the Brushtailed Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, or furry tailed little fox). However, it is definitely not a fox and someone must have named it after having a bad experience. See the following web-site for a general introduction: http://www.australian-wildlife.com/Possum-information.html. We have long known that we have possums around, as we can regularly hear them thumping around on the roof. However, they're nocturnal, so, by the time we race outside to see where they are, they've gone into hiding. The first two pictures show what they're like.
Anyway, Dot came back from a Tennis meeting the other night and saw a large possum in the book-leaf cypress (Thuja orientalis) adorning our front garden - also pictured. Moreover, she saw it eating the tree's seeds, which have just matured given that we're in mid-Autumn. These are also pictured. We had noticed bits of seed-pod and leaf littering the ground around the base of the conical tree and I wondered about the explanation. Now we know! The possums have been using our front garden as a fast-food restaurant and leaving the debris (pictured) hanging around. Perhaps that explains the freakish behaviour of our cat, Honey. Mind you, they're too big to capture for a meal; rather they represent competition.
AS
2 comments:
What a coincidence! We have a resident possum too who until last night mainly hung out in the big gum tree out the front. Occasionally we hear him on the roof and making his screetchy mating noise... but last night I think he may have been IN the roof! It has been entertaining watching Ori watch the possum out the front windows - when the sensor light comes on, she bolts to the window and makes this cute little noise. I think she cant decide whether to try to make friends with the possum or whether she should be scared of him!
Nice to see a comment from you Em. I hope I was fair to the little critters as they probably find it a bit tough in town with all the pets around and having to dodge humans as well. Still, as you can see from my post, we do provide them with food. By the way, we know that the possums descend on the bird feeding tables when their feathery friends have gone to bed.
AS
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