Ringtail Possum

The common ringtail possum has a strongly prehensile tail, which acts as a fifth limb and is carried tightly coiled when not being used. It can be distinguished from the brushtail possum by the light covering of fur on its tail and the tail's white tip.

You can find the common ringtail possum along the entire length of the eastern seaboard of mainland Australia and in the south-western corner of Western Australia. It is widespread throughout Tasmania and lives in a variety of vegetation types, preferring eucalypt forests and areas of tall, dense tea-tree.

The ringtail feeds on leaves and flowers, and is well adapted to a diet of eucalypt leaves, apparently being capable of detoxifying their tannins and phenols in its caecum (a part of the gut).

Ringtails are strictly nocturnal and, unlike brushtails, are strongly arboreal, spending little time on the ground. Ringtails are unusual among possums in being active nest builders. Using grass and bark, they create spherical nests called dreys about the size of a football among the dense canopy of the understorey.

Between April and November females usually give birth to two young, which remain in her pouch for about four months. After this time the young often ride on their mother's back.

• Where to find them.