Pseudocheiridae is a family of

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose num ...

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a ...

s containing 17 extant species of ringtailed

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban ...

and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

Characteristics

Physically, they appear very similar to the

pygmy possum The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are grouped into two genera. Four of the species are endemic to Australia, with one species also co-occu ...

s, except for their greater size. Even so, they are relatively small animals, with the largest being cat-sized, and they weigh between 200 grams and 2 kilograms. They have grasping hands and feet with opposable first toes on their hindfeet, and, in all species save the

greater glider The greater gliders are three species of large gliding marsupials in the genus ''Petauroides'', all of which are found in eastern Australia. Until 2020 they were considered to be one species, '' Petauroides volans''. In 2020 morphological and ge ...

, a

prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. If the ...

. They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

, with large eyes. All species feed almost entirely on leaves. To enable them to digest this tough and fibrous food, they have an enlarged

cecum The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix, to which it is joined). The w ...

containing fermenting bacteria, and, like

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...

s, they are

coprophagous Coprophagia () or coprophagy () is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the grc, κόπρος , "feces" and , "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of ...

, passing food through their digestive tracts twice. Their teeth include a battery of grinding molars, and they lack lower

canine Canine may refer to: Zoology and anatomy * a dog-like Canid animal in the subfamily Caninae ** '' Canis'', a genus including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals ** Dog, the domestic dog * Canine tooth, in mammalian oral anatomy People with the ...

s. Their dental formula is: Most are solitary animals, although a few live in small family groups, and they are generally shy and secretive, making them difficult to study. They travel across home ranges of up to 3

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s (7.5 acres).

Gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during preg ...

lasts up to 50 days, but varies depending on species.

Classification

The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's

Mammal Species of the World ''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in mammalogy giving descriptions and bibliographic data for the known species of mammals. It is now in its third edition, published in late 2005, ...

(2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and IUCN agree on a change. The 18 living species of pseudocheirid possum are grouped into three subfamilies and six genera. * †'' Pildra'' * †'' Paljara'' * †''

Marlu ''Marlu'' is an extinct genus of Pseudocheiridae from the Oligocene– Miocene of Australia. It consists of five species found at various sites in Australia. ''M. kutjamarpensis'', ''M. karya'', ''M. sykes'' and ''M. ampelos'' from the Miocene ...

'' * †'' Pseudokoala'' * Subfamily

Hemibelideinae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea. Characteristics Physically, they ap ...

** Genus '' Hemibelideus'' ***

Lemur-like ringtail possum The lemuroid ringtail possum (''Hemibelideus lemuroides''), also known as the lemur-like ringtail possum or the brushy-tailed ringtail, is a truly singular member of the ringtail possum group. It was once thought that they were gliding possums (' ...

, ''Hemibelideus lemuroides'' ** Genus '' Petauroides'' ***

Southern greater glider The southern greater glider (''Petauroides volans''), also known as the southern and central greater glider, is a species of large gliding marsupial native to the forests of southeastern Australia. It is a vulnerable species per the IUCN Red Li ...

, ''Petauroides volans'' * Subfamily

Pseudocheirinae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea. Characteristics Physically, they ...

** Genus '' Petropseudes'' ***

Rock-haunting ringtail possum The rock-haunting ringtail possum (''Petropseudes dahli''), also known as the rock ringtail possum, is a species of Australian possum. It is found in rocky escarpments in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria across Western Australi ...

, ''Petropseudes dahli'' ** Genus ''

Pseudocheirus ''Pseudocheirus'' is a genus of ringtail possums (family Pseudocheiridae). It includes a single living species, the common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'') of Australia, as well as the fossil ''Pseudocheirus marshalli'' from the Pl ...

'' ***

Common ringtail possum The common ringtail possum (''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'', Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plan ...

, ''Pseudocheirus peregrinus'' Possum Ring-tailed444

***

Western ringtail possum The western ringtail possum or ngwayir refers to a species of possum, ''Pseudocheirus occidentalis'', found in a small area of Southwest Australia. They are a cat-sized marsupial with a stocky build, dark greyish-brown fur, pale underparts and ...

, ''Pseudocheirus occidentalis'' ** Genus ''

Pseudochirulus Slender ringtail possum or Small ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus''), also known as the ringtail possum, is a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. ''Pseudochirulus'' l ...

'' ***

Lowland ringtail possum The lowland ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus canescens'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua N ...

, ''Pseudochirulus canescens'' ***

Weyland ringtail possum The Weyland ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus caroli'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is endemic to the western Central Cordillera of Papua Province, Indonesia. ''P. caroli'' is also "known from four localitie ...

, ''Pseudochirulus caroli'' *** Cinereus ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus cinereus'' *** Painted ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus forbesi'' *** Herbert River ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus herbertensis'' *** Masked ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus larvatus'' ***

Pygmy ringtail possum The pygmy ringtail possum (''Pseudochirulus mayeri'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in the montane forest regions of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, Indonesia.Hatfield, Lucy. "Pseudochirulus mayeri (pygmy ...

, ''Pseudochirulus mayeri'' *** Vogelkop ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirulus schlegeli'' * Subfamily

Pseudochiropsinae False ringtail possums (''Pseudochirops'') are members of a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are f ...

** Genus '' Pseudochirops'' ***

D'Albertis' ringtail possum D'Albertis' ringtail possum (''Pseudochirops albertisii'') is a species of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu ...

, ''Pseudochirops albertisii'' *** Green ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops archeri'' *** Plush-coated ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops corinnae'' *** Reclusive ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops coronatus'' *** Coppery ringtail possum, ''Pseudochirops cupreus'' *** †''

Pseudochirops winteri False ringtail possums (''Pseudochirops'') are members of a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are f ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q23313 Possums Extant Chattian first appearances Taxa named by Herluf Winge Mammal families