Brushtail possum
| Brushtail possums | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Common brushtail possum by John Gould, 1863 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phalangeridae |
| Genus: |
Trichosurus (Lesson, 1828) |
| Type species | |
|
Didelphis vulpecula (Kerr, 1792) |
|
| Species | |
|
see text |
|
see text
The brushtail possums are the members of the genus Trichosurus in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are unique among marsupials for having shifted the hypaxial muscles from the epipubic to the pelvis, much like in placental muscles, meaning that their breathing cycle is more similar to the latter than to that of other non-eutherian mammals. In general, they are more terrestrial oriented than other possums, and in some ways might parallel primates.
It contains the following species:
Northern brushtail possum (T. arnhemensis)
Short-eared possum (T. caninus)
Coppery brushtail possum (T. johnstonii)
Common brushtail possum (T. vulpecula)
Brushtail possum joey (f), alongside those of an echidna (a), Virginia Opossum (b), Gray short-tailed opossum (c), Koala (e) and Southern brown bandicoot (g).
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Wikipedia