Diet of an inland population of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)
Eden Hermsen A , Anne Kerle B and Julie M. Old A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Water and Wildlife Ecology Research Group, School of Science and Health, Hawkesbury, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
B Fitzroy Street, Peel, NSW 2795, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: j.old@uws.edu.au
Australian Mammalogy 38(1) 130-134 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM15008
Submitted: 21 April 2015 Accepted: 15 October 2015 Published: 17 November 2015
Abstract
Populations of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) in inland New South Wales have declined or disappeared. Habitat requirements and diet of these populations are poorly understood. Determining the diet of inland ringtail possums is crucial to understanding the factors limiting their survival, and was the focus of this study. Spotlighting surveys were conducted to locate ringtail possums, and scat and vegetation samples were collected for microhistological analysis. Ringtail possums were most frequently observed in red stringybark followed by bundy box and black cypress pine trees, and this correlated with the most common dietary items consumed.
Additional keywords: black cypress pine, bundy box, marsupial, microhistological analysis, red stringybark.
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