Distoechurus pennatus

Geographic Range

Feathertail possums can be found in suitable forested habitats, including disturbed forests, throughout New Guinea.

• Biogeographic Regions
• australian australian
  • native native

• Other Geographic Terms
• island endemic island endemic

Habitat

Feathertail possums are found in areas of disturbed secondary forest, rainforest, scrub forest, and gardens. They also are found in highland rainforest and lower moss forests at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• rainforest rainforest

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

The head and body length is 100 to 120mm and the tail length is 123 to 55mm. Adult males weigh about 53 grams, and adult females weigh about 50 grams. Body coloration is dull buff, light brown, to slightly gray in color. The head is streaked with black and white bands that extend from the muzzle to the top of the head. There is a conspicuous black patch just below each ear. The basal part of the tail is well furred, and the remainder is nearly naked. A fringe of stiff hairs outlines the tail in a feather-like pattern hence the name feather-tailed possum. The coat is a soft, thick texture. The claws are sharp and curved and the terminal pads of the digits are not expanded. The eyes are large and the ears are small and naked. The tip of the tail is prehensile. Females have one medially placed teat, and a pouch that opens anteriorly.

Acrobatids differ from other possums in having six pads on their feet instead of five (an adaptation to enhance grip when climbing) and a tail with rows of long stiff hairs along each side, forming a feather-like structure. This is thought of being an adaptation to gliding. Distoechurus pennatus does not have a membrane and cannot glide.

The tongue is 21 mm long. The dorsal surface is covered with a mat of backwardly pointing papillae that is thought to be used as to tool to retrieve nectar and pollen from flowers.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• female larger

Reproduction

Mating systems in feathertail possums are not well understood. Their close relative, Acrobates pygmaeus , is polygynous.

Reproductive research is lacking for feathertail possums but the related species, Acrobates pygmaeus , reaches sexual maturity at 8 months to one year of age and has two litters per year. Litter size is one or two young and is determined by a number of factors, latitude, altitude, ovulation rate, and the number of teats. They nest in tree holes and females are probably polygynous. Breeding can happen at any time of year in the tropics but births have a seasonal peak in spring.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous

Like other marsupials, feathertail possums gestate and nurse their young until they are weaned. There is little information on other forms of parental investment in feathertail possums.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Little is known about the lifespan of feathertail possums. In captivity one lived to 1.5 years. Because they are small possums, it is suggested that they have relatively short generation times.

Behavior

Feathertail possums are nocturnal and highly arboreal. These possums are solitary most of the year outside of the breeding season, when they associate briefly with a mate and their offspring.

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal arboreal
• scansorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Home range size in feathertail possums is unknown.

Communication and Perception

Not much in known about communication in feathertail possums. In general, possums communicate though vocalizations and urine marking.

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Feathertail possums specialize in high-energy, high-protein foods such as nectar, pollen, and insects. They also feed on soft fruits or exudates such as gums. Most feeding occurs at night, although nursing mothers are sometimes forced to forage during the day to meet the energy demands of lactation. Feathertail possums have a hindgut that is about 10 cm in length and a small intestine of 25 cm long.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore
• herbivore herbivore
  • nectarivore nectarivore

• Animal Foods
• insects

• Plant Foods
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit
• nectar
• pollen
• flowers
• sap or other plant fluids

Predation

Feathertail possums are most vulnerable to predators when they are on the ground. The primary terrestrial predators of small possums in Australia are foxes. They may also be preyed on by arboreal snakes and owls.

Ecosystem Roles

Feathertail possums are pollinators through their nectar-feeding. They may also disperse seeds when they eat fruits.

The number of known bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases infecting possums are minimal but researchers are spending time investigating the affects of Leptospira interrogans , a bacterium and Parastrongyloides trichosuri , a nematode, as potential vectors for biological control.

A disease found in possums only is "Wobbly Possum Disease" (WPD). This disease is characterized by docility, incoordination, loss of balance, and wasting. It also has detrimental affects in body tissue and the brain. WPD can be efficiently transmitted by close contact. Many joeys in direct contact with infected possums contract WPD. Infection may be spread in the wild by several mechanisms, including aggressive encounters in which blood is exchanged, contamination of wounds with urine, ingestion of contaminated food, transfer of mites during den-sharing, and other social encounters. WPD has potential as a biological control agent for possums on the basis that it is readily transmitted between individuals in close contact.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

The feather-tail possum is an active part of New Guinea’s indigenous people diet. They are hunted at night in the months of June, July, and August.

The Wola people of New Guinea's Highlands use the prized tails of posssums such as the Feather-tailed to create elaborate headress for cerimonies.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• body parts are source of valuable material

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Feathertail possums can be considered pests when active in urban settings. Control methods like poisons and toxins are sometimes used to reduce problem possums. An emerging problem with these eradication methods is that the materials are being sent throughout the food web affecting many species who will prey upon a possum carcass. More research needs to be done on better methods of control, such as fertility control, traps, and behavior changes. Ferrets are becoming a problem because they are carriers of Bovine Tb which can be transmitted to possums. The transmission of this disease to livestock is of major economic concern in Australia and New Zealand.

• Negative Impacts
• causes or carries domestic animal disease causes or carries domestic animal disease
• household pest

Conservation Status

Feathertail possums are common in suitable habitats, though detailed population information is not available. These possums are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are considered low risk/least concern.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

denise krentz (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Chris Yahnke (editor, instructor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

References

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