The Brush Tailed possum has become one of the worst pests in New Zealand. Here are 6 possum facts, including how and when it came to NZ.
The flora and fauna of New Zealand is incredibly unique. In fact, about 70% of the plants and animals found in NZ can be found nowhere else in the world! Unfortunately, many introduced species, such as possum, are threatening those native species. Since the arrival of people 750 years ago 75 plant and animal species have gone extinct and many, many more are at risk of disappearing.
6 Possum Facts – A Furry Introduced Species
These animals are marsupials, a type of mammal. They are the size of a house cat and weigh between 2-5 kg.
Possums are an introduced species to New Zealand. They were brought here from Tasmania and Australia in the 1800s. The native species of NZ didn’t evolve with possums and thus don’t have natural defense mechanisms to protect them from these animals. Since coming to NZ they have thrived and are now listed as the biggest pest or threat to the native plants and animals of the country. They are one of the big 3 predators in NZ.
Primarily possums eat vegetation, meaning leaves and fruit of trees, vines, and shrubs. They pose a serious threat to native species because they can consume so much vegetation that they kill the native trees. This in turn leads to a lack of food for native birds, reptiles, and insects, which causes them to die.
In the past people though that the main threat from possums was due to their eating vegetation. Over time and thanks to some research people figured out that possums do in fact eat insects, baby birds and eggs. Now we realize the full threat that these mammals pose to New Zealand’s native wildlife.
These animals are covered in a fur coat that is black or grey in color in NZ. Most of the possums in NZ are black because they were mainly introduced from Tasmania, which has black possums. People brought them to NZ because they wanted to create a fur industry. The first time possums were successfully released into the wild was in the Southland (on the south island) in 1858.
Unfortunately, for us today they were so successful at spreading and living in NZ that there are now around 30 million of them. They live throughout the country from the far south to the far north. At one point there were about 70 million of them, but trapping, poisoning, and other control measures have reduced the population. The government did finally put a ban on importing any more possums, but that wasn’t until 1921. Then in 1946 the government declared possums a pest.