Pseudocheirus peregrinus occidentalis
| Western ringtail possum | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Pseudocheiridae |
| Genus: | Pseudocheirus |
| Species: | P. peregrinus |
| Subspecies: | P. p. occidentalis |
| Trinomial name | |
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Pseudocheirus peregrinus occidentalis |
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| Western Ringtail Possum range | |
The western ringtail possum or Ngwayir is a possum found in a small area of Western Australia, regarded as a subspecies (Pseudocheirus peregrinus occidentalis) of the common ringtail possum, or as a separate species. It is a small animal with dark greyish-brown fur without any rufous tinge, pale underparts and a long prehensile tail with a pale tip. It is nocturnal and mainly arboreal, feeding on buds, leaves, flowers and fruit. It breeds mainly in the winter, the single juvenile emerging from the pouch after about three months. Its population seems to be declining, probably due to habitat loss and the introduction of alien species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as "endangered".
The western ringtail has a head and body length of 320–400 mm, a tail length of 300–400 mm, and a weight of 820-1100 g (1300 g). It has dark grey brown fur with light patches behind the ears and creamy white, sometimes greyish, underparts. It differs from the common ringtail possum by lacking any rufous colouration. It has a long prehensile tail with a distinctive white tip.
The original description of the western population was as a separate species, Pseudocheirus occidentalis, though later authors classified it as a subspecies of Pseudocheirus peregrinus. Due to contradictory research, a recommendation to reinstate the species status—though a widely held view—has not been published.
The western ringtail is confined to south-western Western Australia where it is now reduced to patches of mainly eucalypt forest between Two Peoples Bay and the Collie River, with the most inland population at Perup. The species favours coastal forest with Agonis flexuosa, its range includes gardens in the cities of Busselton and Albany.
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