About Trichosurus johnstonii (Ramsay, 1888)
Nomenclature
Coppery brushtail possums, with the scientific name Trichosurus johnstonii (Ramsay, 1888), have a typical body length of 40–49 cm (16–19 in) and a weight of 1.2–1.8 kg (2.6–4.0 lb).
Sexual Dimorphism
Males of this species are larger and heavier than females.
Activity Pattern
Like the common brushtail possum, coppery brushtail possums are nocturnal and live in dens, which are most often tree hollows.
Time Budget
Even during their active nighttime period, coppery brushtail possums spend half of their time resting to conserve energy, and devote the other half to foraging.
Food Selection Preference
Feeding experiments have shown that when selecting food, these possums often tend to choose a mixture of plant materials whose detoxification requirements are correlated or independent, rather than contradictory.
Foraging Adaptation
This selection pattern maximizes the possums' ability to process harmful plant byproducts.
Social Dominance Hierarchy
For social dominance among individual coppery brushtail possums, females rank above males, and larger individuals rank above smaller individuals.
