Facts

Leadbeater's Possum. Photo - J.P. Ferrero.

Leadbeater’s Possum is the Victorian State Mammal Emblem.

Listed Species

In the state of Victoria Leadbeater’s Possum is listed under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 as threatened.

In Australia Leadbeater’s Possum is listed under the Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 as endangered.

The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Animals 1994 lists Leadbeater’s Possum as endangered.

Threats to Survival

Logging of the Mountain Ash forests in the Central Highlands for woodchips (paper production) has resulted in the loss of vast areas of Leadbeater’s Possum habitat.

The fragmentation of suitable habitat by timber harvesting causes isolated small populations of animals, who are then unable to reach other colonies for breeding.

Stochastic events, such as bushfires, disease, drought (climate change) and collapsing old habitat trees are also threatening processes for Leadbeater’s Possum.

Juvenile Leadbeater’s Possum. Photo: David Lindenmayer.

History

1867 First specimens were collected at Bass River in Victoria
1909 Last sighting of LBP in the wild – declared extinct in 1950’s
1961 Eric Wilkinson rediscovered LBP at Tommy’s Bend in Central Highlands
1973 LBP’s were first bred in captivity by naturalist Des Hackett
2006 Death of the last Leadbeater’s Possum in captivity in Australia
2009 Bushfires destroy more than 40% of LBP habitat and population numbers in the wild are halved to an estimated 1000 individuals.
2010 Kasia passes away peacefully in her sleep at just over 10 years of age. She was the last captive Leadbeater’s Possum anywhere in the world. There is no captive breeding program for this species and none planned for the future.

Lake Mountain Leadbeater’s Possum habitat burnt in the 2009 bushfires. Photo: Pam Miskin.

Post Bushfire February 2009

Following the February 2009 bushfires in the Central Highlands, Leadbeater’s Possum is in serious decline. Over 45% of their known territory was destroyed by the intense fires and estimates put the numbers of animals at less than 1,000 animals remaining.

There is a relatively stable population of approximately 80 Leadbeater’s Possums living in the Yellingbo State Nature Conservation Reserve together with the other Victorian Faunal Emblem, the Helmeted Honeyeater.

Leadbeater’s Possum in captivity / zoos

The last captive Leadbeater’s Possum in Australia died in the Healesville Sanctuary in 2006.

Kasia in Toronto Zoo. Photo: Brent Huffman.

“Kasia” was a 10yr old female Leadbeater’s Possum living at Toronto Zoo until she died in 2010. She was the last Leadbeater’s Possum in captivity anywhere in the world. Her parents were born at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria and were sent to Canada to establish a captive breeding program. Although a captive breeding program did not eventuate and there is no captive breeding program currently planned for the future. In her last years Kasia was not on display at the zoo but was held in an enclosure on her own and off display.

During 2010 FLBP and Parks Victoria are arranging to have Kasia taxidermied and returned to Victoria for display and educational use by FLBP and Parks Victoria members.

Taxonomy

Common name: Leadbeater’s Possum
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Petauridae
Genus: Gymnobelideus
Species: leadbeateri

Gymnobelideus: from Greek language : gymno – naked; belideus – dart, arrow.

leadbeateri: in honour of John Leadbeater (1831-88), a taxidermist, who preserved the first LBP specimens at the Museum of Victoria.

Kasia. Photo: Brent Huffman.

Leadbeater’s Possum features, appearance and diet

Leadbeater’s Possum is a nocturnal, small arboreal (tree dwelling), omnivorous (eats animals and plants) marsupial (mammal which gives birth to tiny underdeveloped joeys, which usually grow in the mother’s pouch).

Body length: 150 – 170 mm
Tail length: 145 – 165 mm
Weight: 100 – 165 g

Colour: Grey to greyish-brown above and paler below. Has a dark mid-dorsal (along centre of back) stripe.
Appearance: Similar to a Sugar Glider, but without a patagium (gliding membrane) and has a long club-shaped tail.
Diet: Exudates (saps and gums) from wattle and eucalypt manna (sweet secretion of leaves & branches); honeydew (droplets of sugary liquid produced when insects pierce leaves) secretions; and a variety of arthropods (an invertebrate with jointed legs) crickets, beetles, flies, moths, ants and spiders.

Leadbeater's Possum a nocturnal animal climbing down tree at night.

Life history

Leadbeater's Possum use shredded bark for their nests. Photo: Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Leadbeater’s possums live in colonies – up to 12 animals
Only one pair per colony will breed
Matriarchal society (female dominated)
Territory is 1.5 – 3 hectares and is well defended
Breeding can occur twice a year (spring/summer & autumn/winter)
Up to 2 joeys in a litter
Females can breed again in one season if the first litter dies
Life span in the wild is only about 5 years, but up to 13.5 in captivity

Important forest habitat features for Leadbeater’s Possums

Number of hollow trees available for nesting
Amount and type of wattle trees in the surrounding understorey
Amount of trees with bark strips
Number of shrubs in the surrounding understorey
Slope of the siteAmount and type of wattle trees in the surrounding understorey

Structure of Leadbeater’s habitat in Mountain Ash forests

Some of the major plants of the regrowth Central Highlands forests inhabited by Leadbeater’s Possum:

Overstorey plants	Shorter trees, shrubs and tree ferns
Mountain Ash	Musk Daisy Bush
Alpine Ash	Hazel Pomaderris
Shining Gum	Mountain Correa
Silver Wattle	Dogwood
Mountain Hickory Wattle	Stinkwood
Forest Wattle	Victorian Christmas Bush
Blackwood	Austral Mulberry
Myrtle Beech	Rough Tree Fern
Sassafras	Soft Tree Fern

Important habitat feature: old stags.

Stags are the very large old dead or dying trees usually over 200 years old in Mountain Ash forests. Leadbeater’s Possums like to nest in the hollows of these trees.

Old stag tree amongst Silver Wattle & Mountain Ash at Cambarville. Photo: Pam Miskin.

Help save Leadbeater's Possum

Victoria's Endangered State Faunal Emblem!