Honey Possum
Encyclopedia
The honey possum or tait, its Native Australian name or noolbenger is a tiny Australia
n marsupial
weighing just seven to eleven grams for the male, and eight to sixteen grams for the female—about half the weight of a mouse
. Their physical size ranges from a body length of between 6.5 – 9 cm. They have a typical lifespan
of between one and two years.
The honey possum has no close relatives. It is currently classified as the only member of the genus Tarsipes and of the family
Tarsipedidae, but many authorities believe that it is sufficiently distinct to be more properly raised to a separate superfamily
within the Diprotodontia
, or perhaps even further. It is thought to be the sole survivor of an otherwise long-extinct marsupial
group. Although restricted to a fairly small range in the southwest of Western Australia
, it is locally common and does not seem to be threatened with extinction so long as its habitat of heath, shrubland and woodland remains intact and diverse.
It is one of the very few entirely nectarivorous mammals; it has a long, pointed snout and a long, protusible tongue with a brush tip that gathers pollen
and nectar, like a honeyeater
or a hummingbird
. Its teeth are fewer and smaller than is typical for marsupials, with the molars reduced to tiny cones, and a dental formula of
Floral diversity is particularly important for the honey possum as it cannot survive without a year-round supply of nectar, and unlike nectarivorous birds, it cannot easily travel long distances in search of fresh supplies. Radio-tracking has shown, however, that males particularly are quite mobile, moving distances of up to 0.5 km in a night and with utilisation areas averaging 0.8 hectares.
Both its front and back feet are adept at grasping, enabling them to climb trees with ease, as well as traverse the undergrowth
at speed. Honey possums can also utilise their tail
(which is longer than their head and body combined) to grip, much like another arm.
The honey possum is mainly nocturnal
but will come out to feed during daylight in cooler weather. Generally, though, it spends the days asleep in a shelter of convenience: a rock cranny, a tree cavity, the hollow inside of a grass tree, or an abandoned bird nest. When food is scarce or in cold weather, it becomes torpid to conserve energy.
for herself, but within days they learn to grab hold of the mother's back and travel with her. However, their weight soon becomes too much, and they will stop feeding off milk
at around eleven weeks, and start to make their own homes shortly after this. As is common in marsupials, a second litter is often born when the pouch is vacated by the first, fertilised embryos being stopped from developing - see diapause
.
Most of the time, honey possums will stick to separate territories
of about one hectare (2.5 acres), outside of the breeding season. They live in small groups of no more than ten, which results in them engaging in combat with one another only rarely. During the breeding season, females will move into smaller areas with their young, which they will defend fiercely, especially from any males.
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...
n marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
weighing just seven to eleven grams for the male, and eight to sixteen grams for the female—about half the weight of a mouse
House mouse
The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
. Their physical size ranges from a body length of between 6.5 – 9 cm. They have a typical lifespan
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
of between one and two years.
The honey possum has no close relatives. It is currently classified as the only member of the genus Tarsipes and of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Tarsipedidae, but many authorities believe that it is sufficiently distinct to be more properly raised to a separate superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
within the Diprotodontia
Diprotodontia
Diprotodontia is a large order of about 120 marsupial mammals including the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, koala, wombats, and many others. Extinct diprotodonts include the rhinoceros-sized Diprotodon, and Thylacoleo, the so-called "marsupial lion"....
, or perhaps even further. It is thought to be the sole survivor of an otherwise long-extinct marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
group. Although restricted to a fairly small range in the southwest of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, it is locally common and does not seem to be threatened with extinction so long as its habitat of heath, shrubland and woodland remains intact and diverse.
It is one of the very few entirely nectarivorous mammals; it has a long, pointed snout and a long, protusible tongue with a brush tip that gathers pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
and nectar, like a honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
or a hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
. Its teeth are fewer and smaller than is typical for marsupials, with the molars reduced to tiny cones, and a dental formula of
Floral diversity is particularly important for the honey possum as it cannot survive without a year-round supply of nectar, and unlike nectarivorous birds, it cannot easily travel long distances in search of fresh supplies. Radio-tracking has shown, however, that males particularly are quite mobile, moving distances of up to 0.5 km in a night and with utilisation areas averaging 0.8 hectares.
Both its front and back feet are adept at grasping, enabling them to climb trees with ease, as well as traverse the undergrowth
Undergrowth
Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m . Undergrowth can also refer all vegetation in a forest, which isn't in the canopy....
at speed. Honey possums can also utilise their tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
(which is longer than their head and body combined) to grip, much like another arm.
The honey possum is mainly nocturnal
Nocturnal animal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal"....
but will come out to feed during daylight in cooler weather. Generally, though, it spends the days asleep in a shelter of convenience: a rock cranny, a tree cavity, the hollow inside of a grass tree, or an abandoned bird nest. When food is scarce or in cold weather, it becomes torpid to conserve energy.
Reproduction
Breeding depends on the availability of nectar and can occur at any time of the year. Females are promiscuous, mating with a large number of males. Competition has led to the males having the largest testes relative to their body weight for any known mammal, being 4.2 per cent. Their sperm is also the largest in the mammal world, measuring 0.36mm. Gestation lasts for 28 days, 2-3-4 young being produced. At birth they are the smallest of any mammal, weighing 0.005g. Nurturing and development within the pouch lasts for about 60 days, after which they emerge covered in fur and with open eyes, weighing some 2.5g. As soon as they emerge, they are often left in a sheltered area (such as a hollow in a tree) while the mother searches for foodFood
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
for herself, but within days they learn to grab hold of the mother's back and travel with her. However, their weight soon becomes too much, and they will stop feeding off milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
at around eleven weeks, and start to make their own homes shortly after this. As is common in marsupials, a second litter is often born when the pouch is vacated by the first, fertilised embryos being stopped from developing - see diapause
Diapause
Diapause is the delay in development in response to regularly and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions. It is considered to be a physiological state of dormancy with very specific initiating and inhibiting conditions...
.
Most of the time, honey possums will stick to separate territories
Territory (animal)
In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
of about one hectare (2.5 acres), outside of the breeding season. They live in small groups of no more than ten, which results in them engaging in combat with one another only rarely. During the breeding season, females will move into smaller areas with their young, which they will defend fiercely, especially from any males.