#possums — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #possums, aggregated by home.social.
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The Conversation: Listening to the bush: how AI can help NZ rid its wilderness of ‘hold‑out’ pest possums. “Even a handful of remaining animals can eventually rebuild a population, making it essential that conservation workers have effective tools to detect them. One promising solution lies in microphones that record sounds overnight, combined with artificial intelligence (AI) software […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/08/24/listening-to-the-bush-how-ai-can-help-nz-rid-its-wilderness-of-hold-out-pest-possums-the-conversation/ -
Woken by a pursuit of possums, and sleep now eludes me.
Although all the buildings on our block are freestanding, their roofs are linked by carports that create a continuous aerial highway from next door, diagonally to a place behind us. Possums find this convenient for their nocturnal ramblings. House roofs are tiled, but the carports are corrugated iron, and rumble like thunder beneath hurrying marsupial feet.
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Have you ever seen the pint-sized honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)? Inhabiting parts of southwestern Australia, it weighs only about 0.63 oz (18 g)—about the weight of one heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. This tiny critter is one of the world’s only mammals to feed on an exclusive diet of nectar and pollen. Bristles on the tip of its tongue help this arboreal marsupial to collect nectar from flowers. Did you know? The honey possum’s tongue can measure nearly one fourth of its entire body length.
Photo: Loxley Fedec, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
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Does anyone else feed stray cats and possums and have a way to keep the raccoons away at night? The usual strategies of banging on the door and yelling at them stopped working.
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Two #possums thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in #WestPapua! The pygmy #possum and sacred ring-tailed #glider are #nature's battlers who deserve a break from #palmoil ecocide. Stand with #indigenous defenders against palm oil #colonialism! 🌴🚫 @palmoildetectives #BoycottPalmOil
http://palmoildetectives.com/2026/03/07/marsupials-thought-extinct-for-6000-years-found-in-west-papua/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social&utm_campaign=publer -
#Possums #Tasmania @[email protected] Definitely within your wheelhouse ...
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dzezcmpb3fhcpns4n4xm4ur5/post/3mhgi3vdr3d2x -
Possum hides in airport, cat crosses the border, kittens bond in new home, and meet The Snootlets!
https://cutetropolis.com/2026/03/19/links-mommy-i-want-that-one/ #Cats #Kittens #Possums -
Possum found nestled in with plush toys at airport gift shop in Tasmania | Tasmania | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/19/possum-hobart-airport-gift-shop-soft-toys -
That's excellent news.
On the other side of the harbour, the Halo Project has been doing equally great work. Centred around the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, they've been eliminating possums, stoats and feral cats over an increasingly wide area.
And the difference is remarkable. When I moved to Long Beach 15 years ago I was catching 4 or 5 possums every year in my back garden. I haven't heard a single possum nor seen any roadkill for at least 7 or 8 years. Thanks to a lot of dedicated volunteers, elimination works.
May these initiatives continue to expand their footprint until every last possum is gone.
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Two #possums thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in #WestPapua! The pygmy #possum and sacred ring-tailed #glider are #nature's battlers who deserve a break from #palmoil ecocide. Stand with #indigenous defenders against palm oil #colonialism! 🌴🚫 @palmoildetect #BoycottPalmOil
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Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua
In an astonishing discovery, two marsupial species believed to be extinct for 6,000 years have been rediscovered alive and well in the remote rainforests of West Papua. The pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider were located with the crucial assistance of local indigenous Vogelkop clans. However, their survival remains precarious as their habitats are increasingly threatened by logging and the expansion of the palm oil colonialism in West Papua. Laws and native title to protect this region is essential for indigenous land defenders. We musn’t let them disappear again #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Two #extinct #marsupials in #WestPapua found alive! The #marsupials highlight the need to protect #Papuan forests or they are gone for good! Resist for them and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife when you shop 🌴🙊🔥☠️🚫 @palmoildetect #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-iOH
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterTwo #possums thought extinct for 6000 years are alive in #WestPapua! The pygmy #possum and sacred ring-tailed #glider are #nature’s battlers who deserve a break from #palmoil ecocide. Stand with #indigenous defenders against palm oil #colonialism! 🌴🚫 @palmoildetect #BoycottPalmOil https://wp.me/pcFhgU-iOH
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Two extraordinarily rare marsupials, entirely believed to have been extinct for over six thousand years, have been discovered alive in the remote, Vogelkop mountain forests of the Bird’s Head peninsula in West Papua. This remarkable rediscovery of the pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider was confirmed by Australian scientist Professor Tim Flannery, alongside a team of local indigenous experts and university researchers.“More important than finding a living thylacine in Tasmania.”
Scott Hucknull from Central Queensland University describes the magnitude of the discovery.These species are rare examples of “Lazarus taxa”. Animals who disappear from the fossil record only to be found alive centuries later. Flannery noted that the likelihood of finding even one lost mammal was almost zero, let alone two.
“It’s unprecedented and groundbreaking, really, to find two Lazarus taxa,” Flannery says. “We’ve been able to finalise two pieces of work that are incredibly important from a biological and a conservation perspective, documenting the existence of rare marsupials in an area under threat. It’s sort of a crowning glory in my career as a biologist.”
The first of the resurrected species is the pygmy long-fingered possum, Dactylonax kambuayai. This tiny, striped marsupial possesses an extraordinary evolutionary trait: an elongated fourth finger on each hand that is double the length of other digits. Flannery explains that they use this finger to extract grubs from timber.
“They’ve got a whole lot of specialisations in their ear region as well, which seem to be related to detection of low-frequency sound. So presumably they’re listening for wood-boring beetle larvae, and they then rip open the rotting wood and use that finger to fish out the grub,” Flannery says.
The second species, the ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis), features unfurred ears and a strong, prehensile tail used for gripping branches. Flannery calls it “one of the most photogenic animals, most beautiful marsupials you’ll ever see.”
Crucially, the rediscovery of these elusive creatures was entirely dependent on the profound ecological knowledge of the local Tambrauw and Maybrat clans. These indigenous communities view the ring-tailed glider as deeply sacred, believing them to be manifestations of their ancestors’ spirits, and actively protect them from hunting. Rika Korain, a Maybrat woman and co-author of the research, emphasised that identifying the species relied entirely on traditional owners. “This connection has been essential,” she says.
“I’m very proud that Papuan researchers contributed to these landmark discoveries, and want to thank the people of the Misool, Maybrat and Tambrouw regions who supported us in the field,”
Dr Aksamina Yohanita of the University of Papua said.“The Vogelkop is an ancient piece of the Australian continent that has become incorporated into the island of New Guinea. Its forests may shelter yet more hidden relics of a past Australia,”
Tim FlanneryTo protect the remaining populations from the illegal wildlife trade, researchers are keeping their exact locations highly classified. Flannery delivered a stark warning to potential poachers regarding the animals’ survival in captivity: “They would be incredibly difficult to keep in captivity. because their diet is so highly specialised. Advanced warning for anyone who’s thinking of keeping one as a pet: it won’t live long,” he says.
While their rediscovery is a triumph, their future is highly uncertain. The proximity of power-hungry corporates intent on razing the rainforest for palm oil and timber casts a dark shadow over the region.
David Lindenmayer, an ecologist at the Australian National University, who was not involved in the study said “I am also hugely concerned about the extent of logging and land clearing happening in New Guinea,” he says. “It also makes me wonder what might have been lost in Australia as a result of all of the land clearing that has taken place here.”
The findings underline strong calls from scientists, environmentalists and indigenous rights advocates for Native Title legal land rights and indigenous-led protections of West Papua and its imperilled Vogelkop rainforest where these delightful marsupials are found.
Further information
Lam, L. (2026, March 6). Tiny possum and glider thought extinct for 6,000 years found in remote West Papua. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyg6p8g6yjo
Morton, A. (2026, March 6). Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/05/marsupials-discovered-new-guinea
Woodford, J. (2026, March 5). Two marsupials believed extinct for 6000 years found alive. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2518082-two-marsupials-believed-extinct-for-6000-years-found-alive/
ENDS
Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
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Keep reading Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
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Pledge your support #animalBehaviour #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #animalIntelligence #animalRights #biodiversity #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #Marsupial #marsupials #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #PapuaNewGuinea #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #possum #possums #WestPapua -
GREAT news for marsupial lovers (all of us, I assume). TWO new possums 'discovered' (to Western science, anyway) in New Guinea. Thanks @firstdogonthemoon for the good news comic 💚
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Me when my wife brings me a #coffee in the morning
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Fuzzy haired, gentle-natured Telefomin Cuscus are one of the rarest #possums alive. Just a few dozen remain in #PapuaNewGuinea's Nong River Valley. Fight for them and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
https://wp.me/pcFhgU-nv?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer -
Above and Below
A brushtail possum joey mirrors its mother climbing a branch while out foraging.Photograph: Charles Davis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
