Western Ring-tailed Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis) lives in eucalyptus forests across Southwest Western Australia. Its conservation status is Critically Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Western Ring-tailed Possum
- Western ringtails are cat-sized marsupials that tip the scales at up to 1.35 kg, with bodies 320-400 mm long and tails another 300-400 mm, roughly the length of a school ruler laid end-to-end. Their stocky build and prehensile tail end in a fine white point, a look that sets them apart from the rufous-tailed eastern relatives. This size lets them cling to thin branches while reaching for young leaves, a diet that fuels their nocturnal foraging across the canopy. Their heft and reach illustrate how evolution shaped a compact, agile climber for the fragmented forests of southwest Australia.
- A single juvenile clings in its mother's pouch for about three months before emerging at roughly 125 g, then nurses for 6-7 months until it reaches 550 g. In the wild, individuals live up to four years in jarrah forests and six years on the Swan Coastal Plain, while a captive female reached nine years.
- Since British settlement the western ringtail's numbers have plummeted by more than 95 %, shrinking its historic range by up to 90 %, from a stretch that once stretched southwest from Geraldton to the Hampton Tableland, 200 km west of South Australia's border. Habitat clearing, fire, and introduced red foxes drove this collapse, pushing the species to the brink of extinction and earning it a Critically Endangered status in 2017. Understanding this dramatic loss underscores the urgency of protecting remaining forest patches and controlling predators.
- A rope-bridge trial near Busselton showed western ringtails can quickly adopt engineered crossings: after construction, the first crossing was recorded within a month, and possums logged up to nine crossings per night when conditions allowed. Juveniles even learned to cross after being carried by their mothers.
- Urban western ringtails in Albany averaging 0.88 ha, shifting from daytime dreys to night-time feeding spots in eucalypts. Their home ranges can shrink to as little as 0.5 ha or expand to 6 ha, crossing roads, where they often become roadkill.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSouthwest Western Australia
HabitatEucalyptus forests
DietLeaves and flowers
About the Western Ring-tailed Possum
In the twilight forests of Western Australia, the Western Ring-tailed Possum navigates its precarious existence with a quiet determination, its large, round eyes scanning the underbrush for the tender shoots and leaves that sustain it. As it moves through the trees, its prehensile tail acts as a fifth limb, grasping and releasing branches with a slow, deliberate elegance, a testament to the possum's remarkable adaptability in a world where its very survival hangs in the balance. With its soft, woolly fur and gentle demeanor, this critically endangered creature embodies a fragile beauty, a poignant reminder of the delicate harmony that exists between life and landscape.
Hear the Western Ring-tailed Possum, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
