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Animal Age

How old does a Mountain pygmy possum get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Mountain pygmy possum reaches?

An adult Mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) usually gets as old as 12 years.

Mountain pygmy possums are around 14 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 5.88 kg (12.96 lbs) and measure 6.27 meter (20′ 7″). As a member of the Burramyidae family (genus: Burramys), a Mountain pygmy possum caries out around 3 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 1 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 11.4 cm (0′ 5″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Mountain pygmy possum gets as old as 12 years

The mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) is a small, mouse-sized (weighs 45 grams (1.6 oz)) nocturnal marsupial of Australia found in dense alpine rock screes and boulder fields, mainly southern Victoria and around Mount Kosciuszko in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales at elevations from 1,300 to 2,230 metres (4,270 to 7,320 ft). At almost 14 cm (5.5 in), its prehensile tail is longer than its 11 cm (4.3 in) combined head and body length. Its diet consists of insects (such as the bogong moth), fleshy fruits, nuts, nectar and seeds. Its body is covered in a thick coat of fine grey fur except for its stomach, which is cream coloured; its tail is hairless. On the underside of the female’s body is a pouch containing four teats. This possum is the only extant species in the genus Burramys. It is also the only Australian mammal restricted to alpine habitat.

Animals of the same family as a Mountain pygmy possum

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Burramyidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Mountain pygmy possum

With an average age of 12 years, Mountain pygmy possum are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Mountain pygmy possum

The same number of babies at once (3) are born by:

Weighting as much as Mountain pygmy possum

A fully grown Mountain pygmy possum reaches around 44 grams (0.1 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Mountain pygmy possum

Those animals grow as big as a Mountain pygmy possum: