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Critter Close-Up: Scooter and Marcus

Critter Close-Up: Scooter and Marcus

This week I got to meet Scooter and Marcus, the adorable hand-reared Common Brushtail Possums at Bunbury Wildlife Park.

Brushtail possums are the most wide-spread marsupial in Australia and the biggest possum bar the Brushtail Mountain possum in Eastern Australia, living in urban areas and native forest and woodlands.

"They're built for all different types of climates so you'll find them in all different habitats, all over basically," senior wildlife park officer Amanda Engstrom said.

"They've done exceptionally well."

Scooter, 5, and Marcus, 7, are much-loved by the keepers and visitors and are each in their own soon-to-be-upgraded enclosures due to the species' solitary nature.

They are also very different in colour, Scooter a lighter, sandy brown and Marcus a grey-black hue.

"You can get gold ones, albinos," Ms Engstrom said.

"You can get browns, blacks, silvers and greys in the wild."

They are one of the native Australian species that have fared relatively well with the threats that European settlement brought, adapting to live in developed, urban areas, meaning you will often see them in your backyard at night if you have trees on your property.

Ms Engstrom said this was partly due to their physical size.

"We also get the South West ringtail possum," she said.

"Their numbers are dropping more so than these guys because cats would rather hunt the ringtail possums because they are smaller and easier prey to catch."

Being a marsupial species, brushtail possums give birth to neonate joeys that live in the mother's pouch until they are old enough to explore their surrounds.

In the wild their omnivorous diet consists of eucalyptus leaves, eggs, insects and fruits, using their prehensile tail to grip branches while they climb.

"Possums can be prone to obesity," she said.

"We try to limit the amount of fruit and give them more vegetables but they are selective."

Scooter happily ate his selection of treats in front of us until he got to sweet potato, which he swiftly took from the plate and ate hidden from sight.

"He does this when it's his favourite and he doesn't want to share, he'll go and hide," Ms Engstrom said.

"With Scooter, it's all about food."

"Basically the world stops revolving when there's food."