Talk:Common Brushtail Possum

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 Common Brushtail Possum is within the scope of WikiProject Australia, which aims to improve Wikipedia's coverage of Australia and Australia-related topics. If you would like to participate, visit the project page.
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References to Australian wildlife journals will be added soon, along with some more pictures. Disinformation originating with New Zealand forestry industry should not be reinserted - please - otherwise this whole Wiki concept will be hijacked by big corporates for even more propaganda. (Unsigned comment by 202.76.170.19

Please sign your comments, otherwise discussion is not possible. Note however that the ecology of this species is very different in New Zealand from in its native conditions seglea 30 June 2005 17:31 (UTC)

I have removed the following claims, which are inherently implausible, and for which I have found no evidence in the scientific literature or via Google. If they are reinserted, they should be accompanied by references to authoritative sources:

"They make and use tools both for foraging and making nests."
"Common Brushtails have at least forty different vocalizations forming a rudimentary language. Their 'nouns' are usually produced while inhaling and sound like a series of pitched clicks. Their 'verbs' are produced while exhaling and have a variety of sounds."
"[...the males guard the rest of the troup] in an organized fashion under the command of the dominant male. "
"They have been introduced to North America by the United States Military for training for special operations, similar to wolves and certain marine mammals. Their are persistant rumors of their introduction into the Indian subcontinent for similar purposes by other nations."

seglea 30 June 2005 17:38 (UTC)

I have again removed the following, which was reinserted by an anonymous user:

"They have in excess of forty other vocalizations which can be said to form a rudimentary language". The criteria for saying that forms of animal communication form any kind of language are well known and quite strict; I have not been able to find any research literature on possum communication that would justify this statement. If you want to put this material back, please support it with references so the strength of the evidence can be assessed.

seglea 5 July 2005 12:36 (UTC)

The claims you removed are quite baseless, Seglea, as you have gathered for yourself. Thanks for cleaning the article up. Tannin 5 July 2005 12:56 (UTC)

Thanks, Tannin. I guessed you'd have the information at your fingertips and was going to ask you to get involved if this stuff kept coming back. Is any of it some sort of Australian urban myth about possums? If so it might be worth a mention on that basis. But it sounds more like a solo humorist. seglea 5 July 2005 22:56 (UTC)
Not so far as I have ever heard. Just a joke, by the look of it. I'll keep my eye on this entry too. Tannin 6 July 2005 04:04 (UTC)

[edit] Don't touch Eucalypts?

Sorry, but in my experience as an arbourist I can assure you that Brushtails do eat eucalyptus leaves. In Melbourne it is common to see Eucalypts (particularly mallee and corymbia groups) stripped bare by brushtails. I've seen numerous otherwise healthy park trees die from brushtail damage. We have to put guards made from PVC or sheet steel around the trunks to protect them. I'll try and remember to get a photo next time I'm out. njh 04:40, 28 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Social behaviour of brushtails

Is there a reference for the information about their social behaviour? It is true that the possums where I live seem to make up a colony, and that the 'top' possum is a female– but most sources say they are solitary! Could this all have been inserted by the person responsible for the hoax about tools, language and military uses (see above)? Dawnfire 04:08, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

Oh– and interbreeding with the short-eared possum. First I heard of that!Dawnfire 08:15, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

I have removed the unverified info on social behaviour and replaced it with: "Socially they may be solitary or they may form small groups which share territory." Likewise that on interbreeding.

If there is a reliable source for this, by all means replace the information and this time STATE WHERE IT COMES FROM!Dawnfire 08:23, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Introduced to North America/Wolf-primate comparison

Does anyone have a source to suggest that brushies have been introduced to N. America? I have never head of such a thing...

ElZilcho —Preceding signed but undated comment was added at 12:34, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

This has to be a hoax. I will remove it from the article - its been there since October without a source. It can always be inserted again if someone finds a reliable source for it Kāhuroa (talk) 10:20, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

I took this unsourced statement out - it was added by an IP on 13 Jan 2007 and seems a bit dodgy: "They are highly inquisitive and live in troupes of about a dozen individuals with a complex social structure not dissimilar from wolves and primates." Kāhuroa (talk) 18:22, 10 June 2008 (UTC)