シドニーアトラクションズコミュの 'A Golden Babe has arrived at Sydney Wildlife World'

November 2009: Sydney Wildlife World’s two rare golden brushtail possums are proud to announce the birth of their first joey, Foster. The male and female pair arrived at the Wildlife World earlier this year and keepers are thrilled that they’ve already had breeding success.



They’re one of Australia’s largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) marsupial herbivores and are simply spectacular, with a bright coat of dazzling gold. They are hypomelanistic; meaning they have little melanin in their skin, in fact the only place they have it is in their eyes which is why these animals have black eyes as opposed to true albino animals; who have pink eyes.



When Foster was born he was only the size of a jellybean, he spent four months growing inside the pouch and at around four months of age first started peering outside. Now at six months he has outgrown mums pouch and spends most of his time on her back.



Sydney Wildlife World’s Nocturnal keeper, Kate Blount, says “Foster is a real card, already getting up to mischief and exploring the exhibit as fast as his little legs will carry him. We’re very proud of this birth. It’s testament to our animals well being. Once a juvenile, Foster will become part of a wider breeding program to help ensure the survival and raise awareness of these incredible animals.”



Did you know?

Brushtails are the size of a domestic cat with a pointed face, long oval ears, pink nose and bushy tail
The Tasmanian Brushtail has three main colour variations; silver grey, black and gold
Pure golden possums are the result of a genetic mutation and are rarely seen in the wild because they are conspicuous to predators
Their natural and preferred habitat is forest, where they nest in tree hollow
They feed mainly on leaves of trees and shrubs and enjoy succulent herbs, grasses and garden plants; they occasionally scavenge meat
The brushtail possum communicates by sound and scent; ferocious screeches and guttural growls are used
They have a hand-like back foot for grasping and a strong flexible tail for curling around branches
Like many of our native animals human and domestic animals threaten this species