Eastern Pygmy Possum

Front teeth
Three pairs of upper incisors, one pair of lower incisors.

Head
Rounded head and very large eyes. Long whiskers.

Ears
Large ears.

Colouring
Fawn above, white below. Soft dense fur.

Tail
Prehensile tail with seasonally fattened base, naked underside, furred above, tapers to fine point.
75-105 mm.

Body size
70-110 mm.

Body weight
15-43 g.

Preferred habitat
Forests, from rainforest, sclerophyll to heath. Feed on nectar and pollen from eucalypts, banksias, and bottlebrushes, supplemented by insects and fruit. Nest in tree hollows or in small spherical nests of shredded bark (mothers with young), abandoned bird nests or forks of trees.

Habit
Nocturnal.

Status
Native marsupial.

Scientific name
Cercatetus nanus.