Green Ringtail Possum
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| Green Ringtail Possum[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Pseudochirops archeri (Collett, 1884) |
The Green Ringtail Possum (Pseudochirops archeri) is a species of ringtail possum found only in northern Australia. This makes it unique in its genus, all other members of which are found in New Guinea or nearby islands. The Green Ringtail Possum is found in a tiny area of northeastern Queensland, between Paluma and Mt Windsor Tableland.[3]
The Green Ringtail Possum gets its name from its fur, which does indeed have a greenish tinge. In reality the fur is olive grey, but it is grizzled with silver, yellow and black hairs, which makes it appear green. It is nocturnal, solitary and arboreal, and feeds mostly on leaves.[3] It is one of the few species that can eat the leaves of the stinger plant (Dendrocnide moroides) which can cause extreme pain with casualties needing to be hospitalised.[citation needed] It also engages in a practice called coprophagy, where an animal eats its own faeces a second time.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 53. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Pseudochirops archeri. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 27 December 2006.
- ^ a b Menkhorst, Peter (2001). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford University Press, 98.
[edit] External links
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