What Do Possums Eat?

The common Ringtail possums feed on fruits, flowers, and leaves of eucalyptus trees.

The common ring-tail possum’s scientific name is Pseudocheirus pereginus. This type of possum has variable colors but tends to spot a light grey or rich red hue on the back and the sides. This type of possum occupies diverse habitats in Australia, which include rainforests, thick vegetation, woodlands, and eucalyptus forests. Others live in suburban areas.

Sugar Gliders are Opportunistic omnivores who eat depending on the availability of food. Their diet includes insects, pollen, tree sap, and manna.

This type of possum is silver grey. It is a small possum with a body length of about 200-300 mm. They got their name because they like eating sugary nectar. Its habitat is in the forest canopies, especially those of the eucalyptus and acacia trees.

The feathertail gliders feed on manna, pollen, nectar, and insects.

This type of possum is considered the tiniest gliding possum. The feathertail glider gets its name because its tail resembles a bird’s feather. They live in woodlands and forests, especially eucalyptus forests.

Leadbeater’s Possum is an omnivore who eats on insects, millipedes, centipedes, and a wide array of plant material (honeydew, flower nectar, and leaves).

This type of possum is scarce; until 1961, it was thought to be extinct. Its habitat is mainly a tiny piece of land in the alpine and sub-alpine woodland forests situated in Victoria, Australia.

Pygmy Possums eat Pollen, nectar, fruits, and insects.

This type of possum are agile climber, and are their family is divided into two genera (Burramys and Cercartetus). Their habitats are mainly in rainforests (dense), woodlands, coastal heathlands, sclerophyll forests, woodlands, and mallee scrubs.

In the wild, Brushtail possums eat fruits, leaves, and blossoms.

Those living in suburban areas eat just about anything. This type of possum often makes contact with people, and its habitat includes urban areas, woodlands, heath, and forests.

Notable types of possums like meat. They hunt for their prey using an interesting mechanism. The Mountain pygmy possum, for instance, hunts by simply entering its prey’s nest at night and then proceeds to launch an attack. The same mechanism is used by sugar gliders and squirrel gliders.

Possums are strict nocturnal marsupials meaning they are active at night. The implication is that they feed between dusk and dawn.

Possums feeding behavior depends on several factors. For instance, the mountain pygmy possum changes its feeding habits during winter when food is scarce, meaning they feed less often during these periods.

Further, a possum feeding on plant matter may need to feed as often compared to another feeding on small animals. Additionally, feeding is determined by the availability of food.

Possums have a vast range of predators who vary depending on their habitats. Some of their most common predators include foxes, birds of prey, dogs, monitor lizards, snakes, and cats.

Possums are instrumental to the animal food chain because they provide food to the animals that eat them. They also prevent the overpopulation of some animal species because they prey on them.

Possums are different from opossums although these two animals are often confused with one another. The one similarity between these two organisms is that they are marsupials. Their exact difference is evidenced by the scientific orders they belong to.

Opossums are from the order Didelphimorphia, and the possums are from the order Diprotodontia. Other differences between the two organisms are their physical descriptions and the geographical location in which they are found.