Leadbeater's Possum

## About

A Leadbeater's possum in a tree.

The Leadbeater's possum ***(Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)*** is a small marsupial native to southern parts of mainland Australia. Leadbeater's possum only ever reach 33cm (12.9in) from nose to tail with its tail being the same length of its body and weigh around 120g (4.2oz). These possums adopt a nocturnal and arboreal lifestyle meaning they live their life predominately at night time and almost exclusively live in the trees. Leadbeater's possum possesses grey to brown colouration all around its body and a distinctive light black stripe going all the way down its back. Conservation groups have made countless efforts to try and increase population numbers as habitat loss has decimated their number of mature individuals in the last 60 years. Leadbeater's possums also have adopted dense forested tiny regions near the city of Melbourne. The Leadbeater's possum has had significant troubles with habitat loss in the past being so close to such a largely populated city. This possum lives in hollow trees feeding on insects and nectar.

## Diet

Leadbeater's possums eat insects such as moths, crickets and beetles, and arachnids like spiders. Other foods that they eat are nectar, honeydew, tree sap and wattle brush. They supplement their diets with some small fruits and tiny vegetation. After the Leadbeater's possum makes holes in the tree scooping out wattle sap, it has been observed that the helmeted honeyeater ***(Lichenostomus melanops cassidix)*** will use as sap funnels to feed on from the possums cuts in the tree, creating an unintentional mutualistic relationship between these two at Yellingbo national park.

## Conservation status

The Leadbeater's possum has been listed as critically endangered via the IUCN meaning they are very vulnerable to extinct in the coming future. These possums have been a large victim to habitat loss and problems surrounding climate change in the past 60 years. Leadbeater's possums often live in old trees ranging in age from 150-200 years, due to human invasion these trees are often removed before they even reach the possum's desired age. The possums only belong to a small reserve called Yellingbo national park and are close to another endangered species the helmeted honeyeater.

## Range and Population

As previously mentioned the Leadbeater's possum is only known currently to be found in the Yellingbo national park in Victoria, Australia along with the helmeted honeyeater as an effort to boost their population. As the population of these possums before being put in Yellingbo park only reaching 1,100-2,500 mature individuals. Leadbeater's possums live in ash forests, alpine woodland regions and Victoria Central highlands. Leadbeater's possums adopt a lifestyle of living in very old trees and secure parts of a forest or woodland. Living an arboreal lifestyle completely surrounded by forested environments means that they are extremely vulnerable to seasonal fires and other outcomes of climate change. Many Leadbeater's possums suffer habitat loss and other kinds of deforestation related struggles.

## Behaviour

Leadbeater's possums are 100% nocturnal and sedentary meaning that they spend their whole lives asleep in the day and awake in the night. They are also sedentary meaning they are sitting or lying down for majority of the day except when sleeping, being almost dormant. Leadbeater's possums often live in extremely old trees dead or alive that can be as old as 150 years. Friends of the Leadbeater's possum states that Leadbeater's possums possess large tails in comparison to their body size, that are key to frequently moving from tree to tree in a balanced manor and using their sharp claws to climb. The Leadbeater's possum is notably the only one of its genus they adopt similar features of the sugar glider ***(Petaurus breviceps)*** in that they posses the ability to leap over a metre from tree to tree. Leadbeater's possums can be characterised by their social behaviour, living in groups of 4-10 and exhibiting monogamy, mating from October to December. Gestation period lasts for up to 20 days, yielding a single or two young per litter.

### Relationship with Humans

It is well known that Leadbeater's possums females are much more aggressive than males due to possible mating seasons and the occasional stress of tending and caring to offspring. Both sexes will not hesitate to use their sharp incisors to bite human handlers if threatened. History of the Leadbeaters possum states that it was first described by Frederick McCoy in 1867 and sent two specimens to the Melbourne Museum. The two specimens were brought by Jim Peters from a forested region of west Gippsland. The Leadbeater's possum was originally named the naked dart in relation the the Leadbeater's lack of gliding membrane. This naming convention is attributed to the sugar glider being commonly known as the dart, as people believed it was a sugar glider species that could not glide.

## Captivity

The Leadbeater's possum is currently only found exclusively Healesville Sanctuary that was first introduced into the all Australian zoo in 2005 to try boost population numbers and frequent breeding efforts.

## Sources

* Leadbeater's Possum | Healesville Sanctuary - https://www.zoo.org.au/fighting-extinction/local-threatened-species/leadbeaters-possum-lowland-population/
* Leadbeater's Possum | History of the Leadbeater's Possum - https://www.leadbeaters.org.au/about-friends-of-leadbeaters-possum/history-of-the-leadbeaters-possum/#:~:text=Leadbeater's%20possum%20evolved%20up%20to,Bass%20River%20in%20West%20Gippsland.
* Leadbeater's Possum | Friends of the Leadbeater's Possum - https://www.leadbeaters.org.au/
* Leadbeater's Possum | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9564/21959976