Member Blog: A Dozen Delightful Pygmy-possums
Twelve tiny Mountain Pygmy-possums have been born at Healesville Sanctuary as part of our breeding program for this Critically Endangered species, a huge milestone for conservation.
Three mums each welcomed litters of four joeys, the maximum number of young for the species. Born last October, the joeys spent their first four weeks safely tucked away in their mothers’ pouches before moving into nest boxes as they grew. While they become independent at around three months old, our keepers only recently had their first close-up look during vet checks at the Australian Wildlife Health Centre, after months of monitoring them carefully on CCTV.
Healesville Sanctuary Threatened Species Coordinator Nicole Boys said the joeys already look like miniature versions of the adults.
“The best way to identify them is by their big heads and much littler bodies,” Nicole said.
The team has embraced a moth-inspired naming theme for some of the joeys, a nod to the Bogong Moths that are vital to the species’ survival during spring. Names include Behemoth, Mothilda, Woolly Mammoth and Mothball, inspired by one of the mums, Mammoth.
With fewer than 2,000 Mountain Pygmy-possums believed to remain in the wild, every joey is incredibly important.
These young possums will stay within the breeding program and, in the future, will hopefully go on to breed themselves, helping strengthen the population through valuable genetic diversity.
Once thought extinct, Mountain Pygmy-possums were rediscovered at Mt Hotham in the 1960s. They remain Australia’s only true hibernating marsupial, spending more than five months beneath the snow each year. They are also an important indicator species, helping scientists understand how alpine habitats are responding to environmental change.
The species is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with threats including climate change, habitat loss, predation from cats and foxes, and declining Bogong Moth populations, a critical food source during breeding season.
These remarkable little animals are also nature’s weight-loss experts. Before winter hibernation, they almost double their weight to around 80 grams, before shrinking back down to nearly half that size over winter.
Watch these adorable Mountain Pygmy-possums waking up from hibernation.
Members visiting Healesville Sanctuary can spot Mountain Pygmy-possums inside the Animals of the Night nocturnal house, where four females recently moved into a newly renovated habitat featuring a naturalistic boulder field inspired by their alpine home.
Every visit to Healesville Sanctuary helps support our ongoing conservation work to fight wildlife extinction and create a future rich in wildlife.
Learn more about the Mountain Pygmy-possums.
