Forty-seven common brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula , were radiotracked to 282 dens on 546 occasions. Just over half of all dens were in living trees; the remainder were evenly distributed between dead standing stems (including short stumps) and logs, with a few (3%) in banks and rock fissures. Of all the den entrances, 73% were at, or below, ground level amongst root systems or in logs. Although dead standing stems (over 25 cm d.b.h.) made up only 4% of standing stems in forest below 500 m altitude, they contained 41% of the dens. Each possum probably used between 10 and 15 dens each year. There were no differences in den choice and frequency of use between mature males and females
Author | W. Q. Green and J. D. Coleman |
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Year | 1987 |
Secondary title | Australian Wildlife Research |
Volume | 14 |
Number | 3 |
Pages | 285-292 |
Links | https://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/144.htm |