What Is This?

nicolas.b · Post by **nicolas.b** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 12:05 pm

gee, that clears THAT mystery up.

i think the problem is, half or more of your animal biomass are marsupials while outside oz about the only marsupial around is the possum and... um... also, the...?

is the possum.

frizza · Post by **frizza** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 2:34 pm

OK it is a type of gliding possum (ie look up glider)

Actually there are a lot of marsupials outside of australia (FYI AFAIK the only native non-marsupial mammals in australia are bats and dingos, excluding introduced animals, although many argue the dingo is introduced). Marsupials outside of australia include:
opossums- north and south america. There are 63 different species.
woolly opossums- south america (for those classification-minded people, these two are in the same order, but are different families). 5 different species.
Shrew Opossums- S Am. A more distant relative of the opossum. 7 different species.
Dromiciops- this is acutally a single species in south america which is closer to australian marsupials than other south american ones.

Then in asia, (particularly PNG) you have the likes of:
tree kangaroos, and various types of possums (cant think of which ones right now).

As you can see, there are a helluva lot of marsupials outside of australia!!

anthias · Post by **anthias** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 3:14 pm

OH NO! It's Possum "Marolyn" Manson!

frizza · Post by **frizza** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 3:28 pm

lol!!!!

nicolas.b · Post by **nicolas.b** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:08 pm

frizza wrote:As you can see, there are a helluva lot of marsupials outside of australia!!

oh yeah frizza, you cleared that matter up. now we know there are 3,378 types of possums outside oz.

also, a kangaroo and something unpronouncable.... yeah, you sure corrected me on THAT one.

Marrow · Post by **Marrow** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 5:30 pm

I'm still baffled. The animal doesn't even look like it's real (however, I know it is)...

Ah well, those crazy animals of oz.

Prey4Me · Post by **Prey4Me** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 6:47 pm

im still sticking to my story of it being a mutated gremlin

nicolas.b · Post by **nicolas.b** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 9:42 pm

BTW frizza, i felt like a came off a little sarcastic/harsh there. just wanted to say "sorry"... maybe i was upset you knew so much more than i did about these things.

frizza · Post by **frizza** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:58 am

tis cool nic...i just get a bit carried away with that sort of stuff because i have been studying it for (what feels like) a long time

i guess im saying perhaps my know-it-allness warranted a bit of a tongue-lashing!!

frizza · Post by **frizza** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 4:09 am

ok guys i might as well tell you what it is. (FYI I agree, it DOES look like a mutant gremlin!!!)

Its a greater glider (Petauroides volans), which is the largest gliding possum in Australia. The adults of this species can weigh between 1.2-1.5kg, and their coat colour can vary from black to gray to creamy white upperparts and light gray or pure white underneath. They live in eucalyptus forests from the coastal region of queensland down to southern Victoria. Some gliders have been recorded to glide for up to 78m.

These gliders eat the bark, leaves and buds of specific eucalyptus species, as well as sometimes feeding on casuarinas and mistletoe and will live for up to 15 years.

Prey4Me · Post by **Prey4Me** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:18 am

what a cool but very strange looking animal

Post by **Tank Program** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:27 am

That's very cool, coulda sworn it was stuffed tho. They wouldn't happen to be nocternal would they? That would explain the lighting and hence the plausibility for being stuffed.

nicolas.b · Post by **nicolas.b** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:32 am

i envy people like you, frizza. i always loved learning animals, nature and plants, all different kinds and varieties. but i have some serious problems preventing me ever being a professional. so i'm just an amateur naturalist and gardener, ah well.

anyways, nice info, thanks. always happy to hear animal info here.

Post by **Tank Program** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 7:35 am

nicolas.b wrote:always happy to hear animal info here.

It apears to be the most popular subject. All the threads that are 6 and 7 pages long have animals in them... For example the 700 pound beaer thread, 9 pages!

frizza · Post by **frizza** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:53 am

yes tank, your assumption is correct- the greater glider (as are a large proportion of mammals in australia) is nocturnal