The pygmy possums are the small possums of the family Burramyidae. There are five species of pygmy possum, grouped into two genera. All are native to Australia, with one occurring in New Guinea as well. Superfamilies and Families Phalangeroidea Burramyidae Phalangeridae Petauroida Pseudocheiridae Petauridae Tarsipedidae Acrobatidae A possum is any of about 63 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea and Sulawesi. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ...

Pygmy possums are small marsupials with brown or grey fur; they always have darker fur around their eyes. They range in length from 50 to 120 millimetres long, and usually weigh between 10 and 50 grams. As with all possums, pygmy possums are nocturnal, hiding in a nest in a hollow tree during the day and coming out during the night to forage for food. They are also omnivorous, living on a diet of invertebrates, fruit, seed, nectar and pollen. They are excellent climbers, due in part to their possession of a prehensile tail. Although they cannot glide like some other species of possum, some species have a big leap. Orders Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Marsupials are mammals in which the female typically has a pouch (called the marsupium, from which the name Marsupial derives) in which it rears its young through early infancy. ... A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... An omnivore (from Latin: omne all, everything; vorare to devour) is an animal that eats both plants and meat. ... Invertebrate is a term coined by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck to describe any animal without a spinal column. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... A ripe red jalapeno cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, nectar and ambrosia are the food of the gods. ... SEM image of pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), hollyhock (Sildalcea malviflora), lily (Lilium auratum), primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis). ... Prehensility is the quality of an organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. ...

Classification

Ther are two genera of pygmy possums: Burramys and Cercartetus. Burramys contains only one species, the Mountain Pygmy Possum, Burramys parvus, which has a lightly furred tail. Cercartetus consists of four species with tails that have a feather-like appearance. Binomial name Burramys parvus Broom, 1896 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 Tasmania but also around Mount Kosciusko in New South Wales. ... Binomial name Burramys parvus Broom, 1896 The Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus) is a small, mouse-sized (weighs 45g) nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and Tasmania but also around Mount Kosciusko in New South Wales. ...

• Family Burramyidae: pygmy possums
  • Genus Burramys
    • Mountain Pygmy Possum, Burramys parvus
    • †Burramys wakefieldi
    • †Burramys tridactylus
    • †Burramys brutyi
  • Genus Cercartetus
    • Long-tailed Pygmy Possum, Cercartetus caudatus
    • Western Pygmy Possum, Cercartetus concinnus
    • Tasmanian Pygmy Possum, Cercartetus lepidus
    • Eastern Pygmy Possum, Cercartetus nanus

Binomial name Burramys parvus Broom, 1896 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 Tasmania but also around Mount Kosciusko in New South Wales. ... Binomial name Burramys parvus Broom, 1896 The Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus) is a small, mouse-sized (weighs 45g) nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and Tasmania but also around Mount Kosciusko in New South Wales. ... Binomial name Cercartetus lepidus Thomas, 1888 The Tasmanian Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus lepidus), also known as the Little Pygmy Possum, is Australias smallest possum. ...

References

Wikispecies has information related to:

Burramyidae

• Turner, Vivienne and McKay, G. M. (1989). “27. Burramyidae”, Walton, D.W. and Richardson, B. J. (eds) Fauna of Australia, Volume 1B: Mammalia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0644060565.
• Groves, Colin (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds) Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, 44-45, Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
• Mikko's Phylogeny Archive