It is hard to guess what a Common brushtail possum weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) on average weights 2.69 kg (5.94 lbs).
The Common brushtail possum is from the family Phalangeridae (genus: Trichosurus). They can live for up to 14.67 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 47.4 cm (1′ 7″). On average, Common brushtail possums can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 1.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for “furry tailed” and the Latin for “little fox”, previously in the genus Phalangista) is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia, and the second-largest of the possums.Like most possums, the common brushtail possum is nocturnal. It is mainly a folivore, but has been known to eat small mammals such as rats. In most Australian habitats, leaves of eucalyptus are a significant part of the diet, but rarely the sole item eaten. The tail is prehensile and naked on its lower underside. The four colour variations are silver-grey, brown, black, and gold.It is the Australian marsupial most often seen by city dwellers, as it is one of few that thrive in cities and a wide range of natural and human-modified environments. Around human habitations, common brushtails are inventive and determined foragers with a liking for fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and kitchen raids.The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s to establish a fur industry, but in the mild subtropical climate of New Zealand, and with few to no natural predators, it thrived to the extent that it became a major agricultural and conservation pest.
Animals of the same family as a Common brushtail possum
We found other animals of the Phalangeridae family:
- Ground cuscus bringing 2.6 kilos (5.73 lbs) to the scale
- Northern brushtail possum bringing 1.55 kilos (3.42 lbs) to the scale
- Woodlark cuscus bringing 1.63 kilos (3.59 lbs) to the scale
- Admiralty Island cuscus with 1 babies per litter
- Eastern common cuscus bringing 1.75 kilos (3.86 lbs) to the scale
- Ground cuscus bringing 2.61 kilos (5.75 lbs) to the scale
- Black-spotted cuscus bringing 6 kilos (13.23 lbs) to the scale
- Sulawesi bear cuscus bringing 10 kilos (22.05 lbs) to the scale
- Silky cuscus bringing 2 kilos (4.41 lbs) to the scale
- Northern common cuscus bringing 2.33 kilos (5.14 lbs) to the scale
Animals with the same weight as a Common brushtail possum
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Trichosurus vulpecula:
- Cozumel raccoon with a weight of 2.96 kilos (6.53 lbs)
- Common brown lemur with a weight of 2.38 kilos (5.25 lbs)
- Stripe-necked mongoose with a weight of 2.38 kilos (5.25 lbs)
- Striped skunk with a weight of 2.4 kilos (5.29 lbs)
- Corsac fox with a weight of 2.62 kilos (5.78 lbs)
- Bunyoro rabbit with a weight of 2.51 kilos (5.53 lbs)
- White-sided jackrabbit with a weight of 2.61 kilos (5.75 lbs)
- Crested agouti with a weight of 2.65 kilos (5.84 lbs)
- Ethiopian highland hare with a weight of 2.77 kilos (6.11 lbs)
- Sunda stink badger with a weight of 2.5 kilos (5.51 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Common brushtail possum
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Common brushtail possum:
- Raffles’ banded langur with a size of 51.4 cm (1′ 9″)
- White-sided jackrabbit with a size of 48.8 cm (1′ 8″)
- Black-and-white ruffed lemur with a size of 54.7 cm (1′ 10″)
- Formosan rock macaque with a size of 56 cm (1′ 11″)
- Mexican cottontail with a size of 43.5 cm (1′ 6″)
- Silky cuscus with a size of 41.2 cm (1′ 5″)
- Grey-cheeked mangabey with a size of 51.9 cm (1′ 9″)
- White-fronted surili with a size of 51 cm (1′ 9″)
- Malayan porcupine with a size of 52.8 cm (1′ 9″)
- Black-headed spider monkey with a size of 48.9 cm (1′ 8″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Common brushtail possum
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Common brushtail possum:
- Short-footed Luzon tree rat
- Egyptian slit-faced bat
- De Brazza’s monkey
- Eastern white-eared giant rat
- Guatemalan black howler
- Oncilla
- Diana monkey
- Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur
- Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
- Klipspringer
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Common brushtail possum
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Common brushtail possum:
- Hog badger with an average maximal age of 13.92 years
- Red-handed tamarin with an average maximal age of 15.33 years
- Yellow-spotted rock hyrax with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Harnessed bushbuck with an average maximal age of 13 years
- Long-footed treeshrew with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Fennec fox with an average maximal age of 14.58 years
- Gray brocket with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Southern flying squirrel with an average maximal age of 12 years
- PudĂș with an average maximal age of 12.5 years
- Antilopine kangaroo with an average maximal age of 16 years