The striped possum or common striped possum ( Dactylopsila trivirgata) is a member of the marsupial family Petauridae.[ It is found mainly in New Guinea. The species is black with three white stripes running head to tail, and its head has white stripes that form a 'Y' shape. It is closely related to the sugar glider, and is similar in appearance.
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Taxonomy
The striped possum was first described by John Edward Gray in 1858 from a specimen sent from the Aru Islands (in Indonesia) to the British Museum by Alfred Russel Wallace.
Range
The striped possum is most commonly found in New Guinea[ as well as several other small islands in the area (including the Solomon Islands). It also lives in Queensland, Australia, in rainforests and eucalypt woodland along the east coast of Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Townsville, but is uncommon and rarely seen in Australia.][Marlow (1981), p. 80.]
Description
This possum looks like a black and white squirrel. It is solitary, mostly nocturnal, arboreal, and builds nests in tree branches.[Marlow (1981), p. 80,] The body length is approx. 263 mm long, tail 325 mm, and weight 423 g.[Ryan and Burwell (20000), p. 339.] The striped possum's tail is Prehensile tail.[ Its fourth finger is elongated relative to the others (like the third finger of the aye-aye, a lemur found in Malagasy rainforests) and is used to take and from tree bark,][Drury (1981), p. 71.] The striped possum also eats leaves, fruits, and small .[McKay, G. (Ed.). (1999). Mammals (p. 60). San Francisco: Weldon Owen Inc. ]
It emits a "very powerful unpleasant smell."[Ryan and Burwell (2000), p. 339.]
The female striped possum has two teats in her pouch and can give birth to up to two young.[ However, not a lot is known of its breeding habits.
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It is most easily found by the sound it makes chewing and drinking in the forest. The striped possum is one of the least known marsupials. The species is not considered to be threatened.
Footnotes
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Drury, Susan (1981) Native Animals of Australia. Macmillan Pocket Guide. Macmillan Company of Australia, Melbourne, Victoria. .
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Marlow, Basil (1981). Marsupials of Australia. Amended edition. First published in 1962. Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, Western Australia.
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Ryan, Michelle and Chris Burwell, editors (2000). Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. .
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