A tree-dwelling nocturnal marsupial with large eyes and rounded ears.
It has large eyes and tall rounded ears. The long tail is usually bushy, and coat colour varies across its range.
In urban parks, a Common Brushtail Possum’s daytime den is linked to more than tree species alone. Researchers examined 240 mature trees in six Adelaide parks and radio-tracked 18 possums. Tree form and the number of hollows were associated with which hollow-bearing trees the animals used.
Most tracked possums used several dens but each favored one, with an average daytime denning area of about 0.08 hectares. The animals also used human-made structures even when trees were available. In a city park, tree hollows and sheltered parts of buildings can both become resting places. These findings come from six parks in Adelaide, South Australia, and describe local urban behavior rather than every forest or settlement across the species’ range.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global species-level assessment
The 2016 global IUCN Red List assessment lists the Common Brushtail Possum as Least Concern (LC). The Australian Museum species account, updated in September 2026, also reports IUCN LC. The material read here did not verify the exact assessment day or population trend.