Healesville welcomes 12 tiny mountain pygmy-possum joeys

Not one, not two, but 12 mountain pygmy-possums have been born at Healesville Sanctuary as part of a breeding program for the critically endangered* species.

Three mums each produced a litter of four offspring, the species’ maximum number of young in one term of pregnancy. The joeys were born last October and were carried in the pouch for four weeks before they were old enough to be left in their nest boxes.

While they become fully independent at about three months old, zookeepers have only just had their first glimpse of the possums in person during their first vet checks at the sanctuary’s Australian Wildlife Health Centre. Before then, keepers had been restricted to watching their every move on CCTV.

Healesville Sanctuary’s threatened species coordinator Nicole Boys said the joeys looked like miniature versions of the adults.

“The best way to identify them is by their big heads and much littler bodies,” she said.

Video footage of the baby possums’ first vet check shows the tiny creatures licking honey from a stick as a sweet treat.

“A little snack is given to most mammals after they have a general anaesthetic*,” Ms Boys said. “It’s a little reward to end on a positive. The little hit of sugar is good for their bodies after an anaesthetic.”

She said mountain pygmy-possum joeys drank their mother’s milk until they were about 12 weeks old.

“From 12 weeks, they are independent and start to eat the same diet as the adults,” she said. “They are offered mealworms, mung beans, corn, peas, and Bogong bickies daily, with other treats on occasion.

“They love nuts, peanut butter and honey as a treat.”

“Bogong bickies” have been specially formulated by Healesville Sanctuary as a nutritional substitute for Bogong moths*. With their own numbers in decline, Bogong moths would otherwise be a main source of food for pygmy-possums to feed their young in spring.

“We’ve worked hard to develop Bogong bickies,” Ms Boys said. “Keepers bake bickies for the possums weekly. These bickies have been used in the wild after bushfires have gone through mountain pygmy-possum habitat.”

Bogong moths were so important to mountain pygmy-possums that the team even decided to go with a moth theme in naming some of the joeys.

“One of the mums is called Mammoth. So, we went with Behemoth, Mothilda, Woolly Mammoth and we have Mothball,” Ms Boys said.

Less than 2000 mountain pygmy-possums are estimated to exist in the wild, meaning the species is under significant threat.

“These little joeys will remain here in our breeding program, and hopefully, in the coming years they will go on to breed, sharing their genes,” Ms Boys said.

Mountain pygmy-possums were once thought to be extinct*, until they were rediscovered at Mt Hotham in the Victorian Alps in the 1960s.

They are Australia’s only true hibernating* marsupial, spending at least five months of the year sleeping under snow. They are a good indicator* species for how our alpine* habitats are faring as the environment changes.

The IUCN Red List* classifies the species as critically endangered*, with a decreasing population. Threats to their survival include the reduction of Bogong moth populations, since they are a key spring food source, climate change, loss of habitat and being hunted by cats and foxes.

The tiny possums are finely tuned weight loss experts. In the lead up to winter, they almost double their weight to around 80 grams and then over the winter as they hibernate, they shrink back down to half the size.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• critically endangered: animals at an extremely high risk of extinction in the near future
• general anaesthetic: drugs used to put a patient in a state of unconsciousness so they can’t feel any pain when having surgery done
• extinct: when all animals in a species have died
• Bogong moths: a small, dark brown moth native to Australia that migrates in spring to the Alpine regions of Australia
• hibernating: when animals go into a coma-like state with reduced heart rate and body temperature to conserve strength and energy during the winter months
• marsupial: a type of mammal that gives birth to an undeveloped young that continues to develop inside a pouch
• indicator: a species whose health reflects the health of the overall ecosystem
• alpine: high mountain regions
• IUCN Red List: a global list of the most endangered and threatened species

EXTRA READING
Can you help find our bogongs?
Where have all the Bogong moths gone?
Love animals? Here’s what a zookeeper does in a day

QUICK QUIZ
1. What is the maximum number of joeys a mountain pygmy-possum can have in one litter?
2. What age do joeys start eating the same food as adult pygmy-possums?
3. Which creature in decline do mountain pygmy-possums rely on for food in spring?
4. What special nutritional substitute have Healesville staff come up with for the possums?
5. What treat did the joeys get after their medical check-up?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Human versus possum life cycles
Use two different colours to show the different life stages of a mountain pygmy-possum compared to a human.

Include details such as how long they rely on parents, food, growing up stages, etc.

Make your diagrams visually attractive and easy to understand.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Bogong bickies are a food created to fatten up the baby possums. What foods or nutritional substitutes can you think of that helps humans meet their dietary needs, especially if sick or unable to eat?

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Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Science, English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.