Overview

• A new study published June 4 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society confirms that an isolated group of possums in the Pilbara and Midwest belong to the once-locally extinct subspecies Trichosurus vulpecula vulpecula.
• Genetic analysis by Edith Cowan University and Western Australian Museum researchers traced these possums to ancestral populations that once ranged across central Australia before European-introduced predators caused local extinctions.
• Researchers documented distinct heat-adaptive features in the Pilbara-Midwest group, including smaller bodies, larger ears, thinner tails and reduced fur density.
• Federal approvals for a new fertiliser plant and Woodside’s North-West Shelf extension in the Pilbara raise concerns over potential habitat disruption for the remnant possum population.
• Lead researcher Shelby Middleton urges mining operators to identify and protect brushtail possums during construction to inform targeted conservation strategies for the declining western population.