Northern Brushtail Possum

Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis

Australia's Threatened Species Category

Vulnerable

Listed since: 11/05/2021

IUCN's Threatened Species Category

Least Concern

Listed since: 15/06/2015

Population trend: Decreasing

Other names: None

Priority Species? Yes

The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.

Description

The Northern Brushtail Possum can be found from the Gulf of Carpentaria hinterland with most of the current population to be in the Northern Territory. The Northern Brushtail Possum is nocturnal, commonly nesting in tree hollows and forest canopy. Its diet consists mostly of leaves, flowers and fruits.

Threats

The Northern Brushtail Possum is mainly threatened by frequent, intense fires, predation by feral cats and habitat modification from invasive grasses. These threats do not act in isolation, as each threat may exacerbate another. For example, a positive-feedback loop may occur between invasive grasses and fire (the grass-fire cycle), whereby invasive grasses increase fuel loads, leading to an increase in fire intensity, which reduces tree cover, which facilities an increase in invasive grasses. Predation by feral cats may also increase in landscapes that are burnt frequently in extensive, intense fires, as cats are attracted to these burnt areas, and these fires can remove shelter sites for the possum, further increasing predation risk