Comments on: Mom wants to know...

Question: Mom wants to know...

panamax — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:20:19 -0800

What species is this this lemur-like animal?

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:25:05 -0800

That looks an awful lot like a possum to me, or what they call possum in Australia, not in the US.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:25:16 -0800

Gosh, it looks a lot like a galago. But pinker. Maybe a vey young bush baby?

By: andythebean

andythebean — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:25:54 -0800

Try asking these guys.

By: shelleycat

shelleycat — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:29:19 -0800

Yeah, looks very possum-ish to me too. My main experience with them is the big ones squashed on the road but the ears and face shape looks right (although not so much the nose? Possibly need to find the right kind of possum).

Knowing if it's a marsupial or a mammal would really help narrow it down. Where does the image come from, do you know?

By: Sticherbeast

Sticherbeast — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:47:43 -0800

Is that a sugar glider?

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:51:42 -0800

It's a possum of some form (Aussie version, as Jessamyn said - I didn't know they had possums in the US). My local zoologist says "without scale, there's no way to tell which kind".

By: cmgonzalez

cmgonzalez — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:53:03 -0800

Thirding that it looks like a member of the marsupial/possum family. Darn cute. Reminds me a bit of a squirrel glider.

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:00:15 -0800

Yup, possum. Although they're usually flatter and more dead than that when I see them.

Specifically, it looks like the Australian Common Brush-Tailed possum. Their coats are quite variable so if you search for images they can range from almost black to a rich brown as well as grey.

By: qwip

qwip — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:25:47 -0800

Yeah, Aussie Possums (as opposed to Opossum, the US version with the rat-tail) are cuter than cute. We used to love seeing them at dusk during walks through Hyde Park in Sydney. Even the fruit bats are cute...

By: John Shaft

John Shaft — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:48:28 -0800

There are some very tame, very fat possums living in parks in Melbourne. Bless.