Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Diprotodontia > Phalangeroidea > Burramyidae > Burramys > Burramys parvus
 

Burramys parvus (Mountain Pygmy Possum)

Wikipedia Abstract

The mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) is a small, mouse-sized (weighs 45 g) nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Mount Kosciuszko in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales at elevations from 1300 to 2230 m. At almost 14 cm, its prehensile tail is longer than its 11 cm combined head and body length. Its diet consists of insects (such as the Bogong Moth), fleshy fruits, nuts, nectar and seeds.
View Wikipedia Record: Burramys parvus

Endangered Species

Status: Critically Endangered
View IUCN Record: Burramys parvus

EDGE Analysis

The mountain pygmy possum is a highly unusual marsupial that was known only from fossilised material until its discovery in 1966 at a ski resort in Victoria. It is the largest of Australia’s five pygmy possums, and is one of the longest living small terrestrial mammal known (females can reach an age of more than 12 years). Reliant on winter snow-fall for its annual hibernation, this tiny possum has been forced higher up into the mountains by rising temperatures caused by global warming. Here this tiny possum clings to survival as the downhill skiing industry has all but destroyed its last remaining stronghold.
Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) 
17
 Unique (100)
Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) 
86
 Unique & Vulnerable (100)
ED Score: 34.05
EDGE Score: 6.33
View EDGE Record: Burramys parvus

Attributes

Adult Weight [1]  45 grams
Female Maturity [1]  10 months 20 days
Male Maturity [1]  10 months 20 days
Gestation [1]  15 days
Litter Size [1]  4
Litters / Year [1]  1
Maximum Longevity [1]  12 years
Weaning [1]  60 days

Ecoregions

Name Countries Ecozone Biome Species Report Map Climate Land
Use
Australian Alps montane grasslands Australia Australasia Montane Grasslands and Shrublands

Protected Areas

Name IUCN Category Area acres Location Species Website Map Climate Land Use
Kosciuszko National Park II 1705480 New South Wales, Australia

Prey / Diet

Agrotis infusa (Bogong moth)[2]
Podocarpus lawrencei (Plum pine)[3]

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Acanthopsylla rothschildi rothschildi[4]
Stephanocircus simsoni[4]

Institutions (Zoos, etc.)

    Maps
Institution Infraspecies / Breed 
Healesville Sanctuary

Range Map

Link to Map
Australia;

External References

Photos

Citations

Species recognized by Groves C.P., 28-Nov-2006, ITIS Global: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System in Catalog of Life 2011
Endangered Status provided by IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2 <www.iucnredlist.org> Downloaded on 11 April 2013.
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774 ♦ 2EDGE of Existence programme, Zoological Society of London ♦ 3Species Profile and Threats Database, Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ♦ 4International Flea Database
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder
Protected Areas provided by Biological Inventories of the World's Protected Areas in cooperation between the Information Center for the Environment at the University of California, Davis and numerous collaborators.
Images provided by Google Image Search
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
EDGE analysis provided by EDGE of Existence programme, Zoological Society of London
Range map provided by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Conservation International & NatureServe.
Weather provided by NOAA METAR Data Access
Institution information provided by International Species Information System - May 2011