28 July 2011

Eastern Pygmy Possum sighted in Namadgi

| johnboy
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eastern pygmy possum

Territory And Municipal Services are very excited that rangers have spotted an Eastern Pygmy Possum in Namadgi National Park.

“We are very excited to have recently spotted a female Eastern Pygmy Possum at the Orroral Campground within Namadgi National Park,” Brett McNamara, Rural District Manager, said today. “TAMS rangers spotted the little possum while conducting routine enhancement work at the campground.

“Listed as Vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, this is the sixth time the Eastern Pygmy Possum has ever been found in Namadgi. The last pygmy possum was sighted in 2008, also in the Orroral Valley.

“Finding this Eastern Pygmy Possum in a high visitation area such as the campground hopefully suggests that population numbers remain healthy within the park.

They’re taking it as a sign of successful regeneration after the 2003 fires.

[Photo Courtesy Wikipedia]

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fiddlesticks8:34 pm 30 Jul 11

EvanJames, you are confusing this animal (the Eastern Pygmy Possum – Cercatetus nanus) with the mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus). These guys (Cercatetus) are pretty widespread and have turned up in recent years in more unusual spots – Burramys are an alpine species.

p1 said :

Cute little buggers. I would much prefer a Pygmy dimensionally deficient possum trying to scab chocolate off me then some of the frickin’ huge ones we normally get ’round here.

Or the cheeky bugger trying to steal the banana off the bbq.

Cute little buggers. I would much prefer a Pygmy dimensionally deficient possum trying to scab chocolate off me then some of the frickin’ huge ones we normally get ’round here.

EvanJames said :

that’s a likely suggestion, I’ve seen sugar gliders from time to time. They have that big stretch of skin between their arms and their legs, and they grip onto things. Face is sort-of similar though.

Thanks guys. It’s so long ago that I cannot remember the details, but a sugar glider sounds way more likely.

la mente torbida1:58 pm 28 Jul 11

Really pleased .. only thing I saw last weekend included Kangaroos, Wallabies and wild dogs

ConanOfCooma1:53 pm 28 Jul 11

Excellent, they come up great in the fryer!

It’s been a while!

troll-sniffer11:11 am 28 Jul 11

Bit rude. Shouldn’t that be ‘dimensionally challenged’ possum sighted? C’mon gubmnt, play by your own rules!

that’s a likely suggestion, I’ve seen sugar gliders from time to time. They have that big stretch of skin between their arms and their legs, and they grip onto things. Face is sort-of similar though.

Watson said :

I swear I once saw a pigmy possum in Weston Park years ago. It was climbing through the wattles behind the nursery keeping well clear of the dogs I was walking. It looked like a pigmy possum but I am still trying to think of what else it could be as it seems so unlikely to meet such a rare animal in such an ordinary place.

Sugar Glider? Fairly common around the ACT

I swear I once saw a pigmy possum in Weston Park years ago. It was climbing through the wattles behind the nursery keeping well clear of the dogs I was walking. It looked like a pigmy possum but I am still trying to think of what else it could be as it seems so unlikely to meet such a rare animal in such an ordinary place.

Buramys are bold little things who will scab food if they can. They used to think that they only occurred in the remnant rock fields in the snow country, but colonies are popping up everywhere. There was a bunch of them (probably still is) living in the ski waxing room under the staff quarters at Charlotte Pass, they love chocolate. They had evidently dispensed with hibernating.

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