Just Accepted

This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

A modern stocktake of ‘a not-so-common possum’: recent and unpublished records of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in arid north-west Western Australia

Hannah Anderson, Judy Dunlop , Jeff Turpin, Mike Bamford, Christopher Knuckey, Morgan O'Connell, Glen Gaikhorst, Melissa Jensen, Alicia Whittington, Russell Palmer

Abstract

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a medium-sized marsupial that was formerly widespread across Australia but has suffered extensive declines in its range and population size, with significant loss in semi-arid/arid areas. In the northern semi-arid/arid areas in Western Australia (WA), little is known about the density and distribution of brushtail possum populations. Here, we report on modern and unpublished records of brushtail possums in north-west WA, focusing on the Pilbara region. Records were sourced from various agencies and online sources. Prior to this study, only 13 records from the mainland Pilbara IBRA bioregion were publicly available. We uncovered 53 additional independent records, with 35 records since 2000, indicating that brushtail possums are persisting in low densities in the Pilbara bioregion. Most Pilbara possum records we found were located in riverine and rocky environments, correlating to environments that include caves and large Eucalyptus sp. The capture of these data fills an important information gap that will now be available in public data repositories. We recommend that targeted surveys and follow-up monitoring be conducted in northern WA to determine if brushtail possums are declining in this region as has been found elsewhere in northern and central Australia.

AM24049  Accepted 05 April 2025

© CSIRO 2025