The Zoo is
CLOSED
for the winter season.
Visit us when we
reopen in April 2010.

Striped Possum

Scientific Name:	Dactylopsila trivirgata
Range:	Northeastern Australia and New Guinea
Habitat:	Rainforest
Natural Diet:	Insects, mice, leaves, fruits, birds, and small mammals
Zoo Diet:	Mealworms, crickets, fruit, and nectar liquid
Physical Characteristics:	The body of a striped possum averages only 9 ½ to 11 inches in length , but their bushy, black tail may be a foot or more long. Their slender body weighs less than a pound.
Behavior:	These agile creatures come out at night and are hard to find in the wild. The possums swing quickly through trees and rarely come down to the ground. They like to sleep curled up in a leafy nest inside a tree hollow. Striped possums use their front teeth to strip away tree bark. Inside the bark, possums find larvae to eat. They use a long finger and very long tongue to pick up their food. Striped possums are messy eaters. They slurp up food, chew loudly, and shower crumbs everywhere.
Reproduction:	Mothers have one to two young at a time. The babies are born in a highly underdeveloped state, then they move to the mother’s pouch.
Notes:	At the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, you can see a striped possum in the Australia After Dark exhibit.