The short-eared possum (''Trichosurus caninus'') is a species of

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 po ...

in the family

Phalangeridae The Phalangeridae are a family of mostly nocturnal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Eastern Indonesia, including the cuscuses, brushtail possums, and their close relatives. Considered a type of possum, most species are arboreal, ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Found north of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, the species was once classed as a

mountain brushtail possum The mountain brushtail possum, or southern bobuck (''Trichosurus cunninghami''), is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae native to southeastern Australia. It was not described as a separate species until 2002. Taxon ...

, which is its closest relative. In the wild, they can live up to 17 years of age, have a stable territory, and invest significant energy rearing their young. They are most commonly found along the southeastern coast of Australia, and reside in rainforests and wet dense vegetation.

References

Possums Mammals of New South Wales Mammals of Queensland Mammals of Victoria (Australia) Marsupials of Australia Mammals described in 1836 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Diprotodont-stub