Common Ringtail Possum
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[Photo] Common Ringtail Possum, Pseudocheirus peregrinus. artist: Neville W. Cayley (1887-1950) taken from the Australian National Botanic Gardens: http://www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/mammals/index.html

The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for "false hand" and Latin for "pilgrim" or "alien") is an Australian marsupial. The Common Ringtail is a nocturnal herbivore, which weighs between 550 and 1100 g. It has grey fur with white patches behind the eyes and usually a cream coloured belly. It has a long prehensile tail which normally displays a distinctive white tip over 25% of its length. The back feet are syndactyl which helps it to climb.

The Common Ringtail Possum eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. This possum also consumes a special type of faeces that are produced during the daytime when it is resting in a nest. This behaviour is called coprophagia and is similar to that seen in rabbits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Ringtail_Possum

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