A couple of days ago, when walking along a coastal path near Sydney, I saw a dark shape at the top of a bare tree:

It’s very unusual to see possums out in the daylight. They’re usually active in the dusk and twilight hours. When the sun comes out, they’re tucked into their nests asleep.

This possum was very still. I watched it for about 10 minutes and it didn’t move an inch. I wondered whether it was dead. Perhaps it had been killed by an owl and left there while the bird went on an errand? Then, in a tree close by, I saw two more possums:

These two were similarly unmoving. No owl would kill three possums, so I felt a stirring of hope. Perhaps the animals were living up to their name and playing possum?

At last, one of the possums came to life:

These are Eastern Ringtail Possums. They’re about the size of a cat, and spend most of their time in trees. You can sometimes see them making their way along the phone lines in the early morning or evening. Their food consists mainly of leaves, fruit, and flowers. They build nests, called dreys, made out of twigs and bark. I’ve seen a couple of these nests, with the little animals inside. The nests are a bit messy, and are large compared to most bird nests.

I hope all three got back to their nests safely, before they could be found by the birds or cooked by the sun!

Common name: Eastern Ringtail Possum
Scientific name: Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Approximate length: 35 cm body plus another 30-35 cm tail
Date spotted: 24 December 2022 (summer)
Location: Dobroyd Head, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’36.6″S 151°16’21.2″E