Ring-Tailed Possum Skull Replica

Description

Ring-Tailed Possum Skull Replica measures 2.5 inches. Ring-Tailed Possum Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Made in USA. Cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. Skull replica is Male. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The common ring-tail possum or Pseudocheirus peregrinus, Greek for “false hand” and Latin for “pilgrim” or “alien” is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers, fruits and sap.

Pseudocheirus peregrinus weighs between 550 and 1100 g and is approximately 30 to 35 cm long when grown (excluding the tail, which is roughly the same length again). It has grey or black fur with white patches behind the eyes and usually a cream colored belly.

It has a long prehensile tail which normally displays a distinctive white tip. The back feet are syndactyl which helps it to climb. The ring-tail possum or Pseudocheirus peregrinus molars have sharp and pointed cusps.

The common ring-tail possum or Pseudocheirus peregrinus feeds on a wide variety of plants in the family Myrtaceae including the foliage, flowers and fruits from shrubs and lower canopy. Some populations are also known to feed on cypress pine, wattles and plant gum or resins.

When foraging, Pseudocheirus peregrinus prefer young leaves over old ones. One study found the emergence of young possums from their pouches corresponds to the flowering and fruiting of the tea-tree, Leptospermum and the peak of fresh plant growth.

Young eucalypt are richer in nitrogen and have less dense cell walls, however the protein gained from them is less available due to higher amounts of tannins. When feeding, the possum’s molars slice though the leaves, slitting them into pieces.

The possum’s caecum separates the fine particles from the coarse ones. These particles stay in the caecum for up to 70 hours where the cell walls and tanned cytoplasts are partially digested.

Common Ring-tailed Possum Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Pseudocheiridae
Genus: Pseudocheirus
Species: P. peregrinus
Binomial name: Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Conservation status: Least concern

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