Possums: The Brushtails, Ringtails and Greater Glider. Anne Kerle. A Review by Joanne L Isaac.

Abstract

DESPITE their almost ubiquitous presence across Australia, contemporary research on the biology, ecology and conservation status of the so-called 'common' possums is scant and inadequate. The majority of possum studies have been a result of the huge research effort in New Zealand to control and eradicate the common brushtail possum, a notorious introduced pest, and have concentrated primarily upon reproductive physiology. The conspicuous lack of ecological data on the larger possums across their native Australian range is particularly disturbing since evidence suggests that a number of these species are disappearing from large tracts of Australia. However, Possums: the brushtails, ringtails and greater glider, part of the Australian Natural History Series, provides a long overdue summary of up-to-date research on these familiar and intriguing marsupials.