by Garry Sullivan,
General Manager, Wildlife Habitat


Ever heard of a Striped Possum? Me either until I started working at the Wildlife Habitat and found out we are attempting to breed them.

These rare (even more threatened now due to Habitat destruction thanks to Cyclone Yasi) shy nocturnal marsupials are relatively unheard off outside of the conservation and wildlife circles.

These possums (Dactylopsila Trivirgata) are endemic to the wet tropics of Queensland and PNG and are in decline due to habitat destruction, so next time your out foraging for fire wood or looking to clear some land around the farm or you house think about these little creatures.

The striped possum is a solitary animal, venturing out at night to munch on flowers, fruits, beetle larvae and pollen. During the day, it rests on a bed of leaves inside a tree hollow or clump of ferns.

In places with coconut palms, it's not unusual to hear a commotion as the possum uses its chisel-like teeth to gnaw through leaves and bark in search of insects causing shreds of leaves and trunk to fall to the ground. It will also bite into dead branches or fallen logs to get at borers or grubs.

It’s noisy, it growls a lot and smells very unpleasant, but even with these traits most of us would not spot it in the rainforest canopy unless we were very patient and quiet.

If you visit the Daintree Wilderness Lodge  they some times can be spotted around the pool area or in a few months after breeding has finished, here at the Wildlife Habitat.

Better still grab a torch, your sense of adventure, head into the bush, breath in some fresh air and find one yourselves. If you don’t see a stripped possum, don’t be upset, them and all their nocturnal friends have probably had fun watching you anyway.