Green Ringtail Possum
Encyclopedia
The Green Ringtail Possum (Pseudochirops archeri) is a species of ringtail possum found only in northern Australia
. This makes it unique in its genus
, all other members of which are found in New Guinea
or nearby island
s. The Green Ringtail Possum is found in a tiny area of northeastern Queensland
, between Paluma
and Mount Windsor Tableland.
The Green Ringtail Possum gets its name from its fur, which does indeed have a greenish tinge. In reality the fur is olive grey, but it is grizzled with silver, yellow and black hairs, which makes it appear green. It is nocturnal, solitary and arboreal, and feeds mostly on leaves. It is one of the few species that can eat the leaves of the stinger plant (Dendrocnide moroides
) which can cause extreme pain with casualties needing to be hospitalised. It also engages in a practice called coprophagy, where an animal eats its own faeces a second time.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This makes it unique in its genus
Pseudochirops
Pseudochirops is a genus of marsupial in the Pseudocheiridae family.It contains the following species:*D'Albertis' Ringtail Possum, Pseudochirops albertisii*Green Ringtail Possum, Pseudochirops archeri...
, all other members of which are found in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
or nearby island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s. The Green Ringtail Possum is found in a tiny area of northeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, between Paluma
Paluma, Queensland
Paluma is a township of around 25 permanent residents in the Mount Spec ranges of Townsville's heritage-listed Wet Tropics. Paluma developed from a mining and forestry background. The first people to arrive here were tin prospectors in the 1870s after an abundance of tin in the mountains. The area...
and Mount Windsor Tableland.
The Green Ringtail Possum gets its name from its fur, which does indeed have a greenish tinge. In reality the fur is olive grey, but it is grizzled with silver, yellow and black hairs, which makes it appear green. It is nocturnal, solitary and arboreal, and feeds mostly on leaves. It is one of the few species that can eat the leaves of the stinger plant (Dendrocnide moroides
Dendrocnide moroides
Dendrocnide moroides, also known as the Gympie Gympie, moonlighter, or stinger, is a large shrub native to rainforest areas in northeastern Australia, the Moluccas and Indonesia. It is best known for stinging hairs which cover the whole plant and deliver a potent neurotoxin when touched. It is the...
) which can cause extreme pain with casualties needing to be hospitalised. It also engages in a practice called coprophagy, where an animal eats its own faeces a second time.