Brushtail Possum

The lively brushtail possum is one of Australia's most familiar marsupials. It is Tasmania's most common possum species and largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) marsupial herbivore (plant-eater).

Brushtail possums are about the size of a domestic cat, with a pointed face, long oval ears, pink nose and bushy black tail. The Tasmanian brushtail has three main colour variations: silver grey, black and gold.

Brushtails are widespread throughout the Island and are highly adapted to a wide range of natural and human environments. Their natural and preferred habitat is forest, where they nest in tree hollows. They will also cohabit with humans in cities and towns, where they seek shelter, warmth and protection in the dark recesses of buildings.

In the bush they feed mainly on leaves of trees and shrubs, but they also enjoy succulent herbs, grasses, and garden plants. Meat or fat may occasionally be scavenged.

Brushtail possums lead a largely solitary life. However, in areas where numbers are high and shelter is in short supply several may share sleeping places.

They are nocturnal, spending the day asleep in a nest and feeding at night.

In Tasmania, the main breeding time is autumn (April and May). Most females breed annually after their first year. A single young is born 17 to 18 days after mating and spends four to five months in the pouch, attached to one of two teats. It spends a further one to two months suckling and riding on its mother's back. You have a chance to see mothers carrying their young this way from September to November.

The majority of brushtails killed on our roads are young males. Their main predators are owls and Tasmanian devils, but if lucky a possum can live to be 11.

• Where to find them.