Fox body. Kuzu - brush-tailed possum

The fox possum or fox kuzu (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a representative of the cuscus family (Phalangeridae), one of the largest marsupials of Australia. Dwelling in distant sparsely populated areas and suburbs of most Australian cities, the brushtail (also called the koozoo) is probably the most widespread of all Australian mammals and the most studied of all possums.

The kuzu's habitat covers almost all of Australia from rain forests to semi-desert areas and the island of Tasmania. In the 19th century, the animal was introduced into New Zealand: Here he lives and thrives to this day.

This is a medium-sized animal: body length 35-55 cm, weight 1.2-4.5 kg. Males are noticeably larger than females. The tail is long, the body is elongated, the neck is short and thin, the head is elongated, the muzzle is short and pointed, ears average size, pointed, large eyes, with an oblong pupil.

The silky fur of the animal is gray, gray-brown or gray-black.

IN temperate climate Tasmanian kuzu boast thick fur and a bushy tail, and their weight can reach a record 4.5 kg. Changes closer to the tropics appearance and the size of the animals decreases. For example, individuals living in Northern Australia weigh no more than 1.8 kg, have sparse hair and only a small brush on the tail.

How does the fox kuzu live in nature?

Kuzu, like most other gliders, is an arboreal animal. It is active at night, but during the day it rests in hollows or in peculiar nests.

Fox gliders climb trees slowly and carefully and are not capable of graceful jumps. An important role when moving along branches is played by a grasping tail with a patch of bare skin. A prudent animal will not begin to move without securely securing itself with the help of its tail. Another adaptation to woody image life are curved and sharp claws on the paws and the opposition of the first toe to the rest on the forelimb.

Continuation of the family line

With the exception of the period of reproduction and feeding of young animals, possums lead a solitary lifestyle.

By the end of 3-4 years of life, the animal defines a small territory for itself, in the center of which there are 1-2 nesting trees. Kuzu protects her from individuals of the same sex and social status. He is tolerant of the opposite sex or lower-ranking individuals within these territories. Individual areas of males can be 3-8 hectares in size, females - 1-5 hectares.

Female kuzu are very aggressive towards males and do not allow them to come within 1 meter of themselves. In order to achieve favor, the male needs to try. During the courtship period future spouse gradually overcomes the hostility of his chosen one, carefully approaching her and emitting quiet calling sounds that are similar to the sounds made by cubs. After everything has happened, the male loses all interest in the female; He also does not take part in raising the young.

Females begin to breed at the age of 1 year, bringing 1-2 cubs annually. Pregnancy, like that of other marsupials, is short - only 16-18 days.

The baby kuzu leaves the mother's pouch at the age of 5-6 months and moves to the mother's back, and after another 2 months milk feeding ends. Soon the young possum begins an independent life.

In populations living in temperate and subtropical zone In Australia, the breeding season usually occurs in March-May, and approximately 50% of females give birth again in September-November. Where seasonality is less pronounced, there are no birth peaks.

The population density of fox gliders varies depending on the habitat from 0.4 individuals per 1 hectare in rare forests and coppices up to 1.4 individuals per 1 hectare in suburban gardens, and in copses where livestock are grazed it can be 2.1 individuals per 1 hectare.

How do kuzu communicate?

These are one of the loudest marsupials: a person can hear the cries of a kuzu at a distance of up to 300 meters. I use several animals to communicate sound signals, resembling clicks, hissing, grunting, loud squealing, chirping. Only members of this genus have a pea-sized cartilaginous compartment of the larynx, which apparently expands their sound repertoire.

Diet

The diet of possums is varied: fruits, flowers and leaves, and sometimes invertebrates, eggs and small vertebrates. In some areas, up to 95% of the kuzu's diet consists of eucalyptus leaves, but in general it is a mixture of tree leaves different breeds. IN tropical forests The main food of the kuzu is the leaves of the iron tree, which, by the way, is very toxic to livestock. In habitats occupied by pastures, up to 60% of the diet of these possums consists of pasture plants, and in suburban gardens these marsupials are addicted to flower buds.

Fox gliders in New Zealand

In 1840, the first Australian coosums were brought to New Zealand to develop the promising fur trade (and the fur of these possums, it must be said, is very light and incredibly warm). Until 1924, as a result of further importation and release of animals bred in captivity, the population increased greatly, and the sale of skins became important source income. However, the happiness of the marsupial conquerors was short-lived. It turned out that in addition to spreading tuberculosis in cattle, the possum causes enormous damage to the local flora.

Having settled in the forests of New Zealand, kuzu quickly mastered a new food resource - tasty leaves of valuable species of endemic trees, simultaneously increasing the population density to 50 individuals per hectare, which is about 25 times more than in Australia. By the time their numbers had somewhat stabilized at 6-10 individuals per hectare, some tree species had disappeared in many areas, and the kuzu had switched to other available but less palatable trees.

By gathering on individual trees and practically clearing them of foliage, fox kuzu accelerated their death. With such an abundance of food, these usually solitary animals forgot about their hostility to each other, unlike their Australian counterparts, and began to occupy small, highly overlapping habitats. Over time, possums recognized the advantage of unpalatable trees, and in New Zealand, a subtle but stable change in forest structure continues.

Currently, the New Zealand fox possum population consists of approximately 70 million individuals, which is twice the number of sheep in the country.

Or body.

The caring duck warmed the tiny baby (who weighed only 340 grams) with her warmth all night, covering him with her wing.

It is unknown whether the duck brought the baby in its beak, mistaking it for its chick, or whether the chilled orphan Daisy crawled into the nest to warm bird at night by myself.

It is only clear that smart bird all night she protected the baby possum and warmed her with her body.

The farmer handed over the helpless exotic baby to specialists who feed and rescue orphaned and distressed wild animals from the Fauna Rescue of South Australia (FRSA).

Baby Daisy will be raised and cared for there until she grows up and gets stronger, and then she will be released into the wild.

Now adorable little Daisy lives in a warm house and has a lot of delicious food. She even got a half-brother, about the same age, and now the little possums will be raised together.

Shelter workers say that it was only thanks to the caring duck that tiny Daisy did not die from hypothermia.

What kind of exotic animal is this that has three cool names at once:

Brush-tailed possum, or fox kuzu, or brush-tailed cuscus (lat. Trichosurus)

Kuzu belongs to the genus of mammals of the possum family. Includes five types.

Possums are distributed throughout Australia, Tasmania and nearby islands. They were also introduced to New Zealand, where they quickly multiplied and became a threat to the unique local fauna, including the rare flightless bird kiwi.

The body length of brush-tailed gliders reaches 60 cm (plus a 35 cm tail), with a weight of 1.2 to 5 kg.

The animals are covered with soft and silky fur, the color of which varies from grayish-white to brown and black. The large ears of the kuzu are triangular in shape. The possum's tail is densely furred and prehensile, and it does not make a single movement. tall trees, without first securing the tail around the branch.

Kuzu are arboreal climbers. Their natural environment habitat - forests, although they are also found in almost treeless areas and semi-deserts. Sometimes they are even seen in gardens and city parks.

During the daytime, possums hide in hollow trees, as well as in attics and sheds, and at night they go out in search of food, sometimes going down to the ground.

Although gliders are excellent tree climbers, they are lazier and slower than squirrels and other similarly built animals.

As a rule, they lead a solitary lifestyle, marking their territory.

Kuzu mainly feed on plant foods: tree leaves, fruits and flowers. Sometimes the animals eat insects and small vertebrates, for example, bird chicks.

The female brings one (rarely two) cub once or twice a year. The mother carries the baby for only 16-18 days, and then it develops in a warm pouch, with two nipples, until 7-8 months.

At about six months, the baby stops sucking mother's milk and begins to feed on his own.

The mother carries the grown cub on her back and continues to carefully protect it.

Brush-tailed gliders become sexually mature in their second or third year of life. Average duration The lifespan of a kuzu in nature is 10-15 years.

Fox body, or brushtail, or fox glider (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Class – Mammals

Order – Two-incisor marsupials

Family – Couscous

Rod – Kuzu

Appearance

The body of the kuzu is elongated, the neck is short and thin, the head is elongated, the muzzle is short and pointed, upper lip deeply cleft, fur gray, sometimes brown, there are albinos. The tail is long and fluffy. Body length ranges from 32 to 58 cm, tail length from 24 to 40 cm, weight from 1.2 to 4.5 kg. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced, males are much larger than females.

Habitat

Lives over a large area of ​​eastern Australia, in some areas Western Australia, in particular nearPerth , in the north of the mainland and on the island Tasmania . In the 19th century, the fox kuzu was acclimatized and then introduced into New Zealand

In nature

Like their “Russian relatives” - squirrels, kuzu live in forests exclusively in trees and lead night look life. They emerge from their shelter only an hour or two after sunset. Despite the fact that these marsupials are excellent at climbing trees, and their body is excellently adapted for this type of movement, they are quite slow and lazy creatures compared to other animals of a similar structure, especially squirrels. The prehensile tail plays an important role in climbing. The fox kuzu does not begin to move unless it is strengthened as firmly as possible with the help of this organ. They say that kuzu is even lazier on the ground than on the trees. Its food consists mostly of plants, but this animal also likes to feast on small birds and other weak vertebrates.

Reproduction

The mating season has no clear boundaries and lasts all year round. In New Zealand, however, according to Crowley (1973), there is a distinct breeding season from April to July. Childbirth occurs in September-November and March-May. Pregnancy lasts 16-18 days. 1-2 cubs are born,which the female carries in a pouch and then on her back until they reach the age of 9 months.

Captivity

Taming a kuzu is not particularly difficult. A tamed animal behaves meekly and peacefully, without trying to bite or scratch.

Kuzu loves to chew rotten snags and branches and pick out insects with his tongue. Therefore, it can be placed in suitable driftwood from the forest. You can also make a wooden block of wood with channels that are filled with honey or insects, so that the animals have an interesting activity.
An enclosure of the “Night Forest” type is best suited for keeping.

The daily diet includes insects, pollen, honey, and fruits. Place food not only in feeders, but also on branches.

In general, life expectancy is up to 13 years.

The fox koozoo, or brushtail, or fox-like possum, or the common kuzu-fox (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a mammal of the cuscus family.

The fox kuzu lives in Australia and Tasmania and is one of the most common marsupials in Australia. Young animals are light ash-gray mixed with black; they are colored below, like older individuals. In addition, there are many individual deviations. Like its relatives, it lives exclusively in forests in trees and leads a purely nocturnal lifestyle; appears from its shelter only 1-2 hours after sunset.

Fox kuzu (Trichosurus vulpecula). Photo: Joe Scherschel.

Although he is excellent at climbing trees and his body is excellently adapted for such movement, nevertheless, the kuzu is a lazy and slow creature compared to other animals of a similar structure, especially squirrels. The prehensile tail plays an important role in climbing; The fox body does not make a single movement without first being firmly strengthened with the help of this organ, which is necessary for it. On the ground, they say, he is even slower than in the trees.

The body of the kuzu is elongated, the neck is short and thin, the head is elongated, the muzzle is short and pointed, the upper lip is deeply split. Body length ranges from 32 to 58 cm, tail length from 24 to 40 cm, weight from 1.2 to 4.5 kg.

From others characteristic features it is necessary to indicate: erect, pointed ears of medium size, located on the sides of the head; eyes with an oblong pupil; bare soles; flat nails on the big toes of the hind feet and strongly compressed, sickle-shaped claws on the remaining toes; an incomplete bursa in the female, consisting only of a low fold of skin; finally, thick and soft fur, consisting of a silky undercoat and a rather short, hard awn. The color of the upper side is brownish-gray with a reddish-roan tint, which is noticeably predominant in places; the underparts are light nut-yellow; the lower part of the neck and chest is mostly rusty-red; the back, tail and mustache are black, the ears are bare inside and are covered on the outside with light, nut-yellow, inner edge black-brown hair.

Its food consists mostly of plant matter; however, he never neglects a small bird or other weak vertebrate.

The mating season has no clear boundaries and lasts all year round. In New Zealand, however, according to Crowley (1973), there is a distinct breeding season from April to July. Childbirth occurs in September-November and March-May. Pregnancy lasts 16-18 days. 1 cub is born and lives with its mother for up to 9 months.

Female Foxgo Kuzu for a long time carries the cub in a pouch, and later on her back, until the young grow enough to do without maternal care.

Most zoological gardens have several specimens. They are tamed without difficulty. Animals in captivity are gentle and peaceful, they do not try to bite, but they are so stupid, indifferent and lazy that they give little pleasure. In general, life expectancy is up to 13 years.

The natural enemies of the fox kuzu are birds of prey and monitor lizards. Previously, people destroyed these animals in significant quantities because of their valuable fur. The natives pursue this animal and consider its meat, despite the extremely disgusting smell it emits, to be a tasty morsel and also know how to use its skin in various ways. They wear a cape made from kuzu fur with the same pleasure as we wear a sable or marten fur coat.

It was exported from Australia under the name "Australian possum" or "Adelaide chinchilla". In 1906 alone, 4 million fox skins were sold in the fur markets of New York and London. Today this species is protected.

Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Mammals
Squad: Two-incisor marsupials
Family: Couscous
Genus: Kuzu
View: Fox kuzu (lat. Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792))

Taxonomy of the genus Kuzu, brush-tailed cuscus, brush-tailed possums:

Species: Trichosurus arnhemensis Collett, 1897 = Northern glider

Species: Trichosurus caninus Ogilby, 1836 = Canine coose

Species: Trichosurus cunninghami Lindenmayer et al., 2002 =

Species: Trichosurus johnstonii Ramsay, 1888 =

Species: Trichosurus vulpecula Kerr, 1792 = Fox glider, brushtail, or fox glider

Brief description of the genus:

Kuzu, or brush-tailed possums, or brush-tailed cuscus are found throughout Australia, as well as on the Bass Strait Islands and Tasmania.
Animals of this genus were brought to New Zealand, where today they pose a great threat to the local fauna. For example, they can play a significant role in the extinction of the kiwi bird, which lives only in New Zealand, since kuzu eat not only plant food (leaves, fruits, flowers, buds), but also small mammals (for example, chicks) and eggs.

From external features of this genus, it is worth noting the following: brush-tailed cuscus (kuzu) have a strong build and medium size. The body length of an adult animal ranges from 32 to 59 cm. The tail is long, grasping, heavily pubescent, bare at the end, covered with tough skin. The length of the tail ranges from 24 to 35 cm. The weight of the animal does not exceed 5 kg. The body is squat. The eyes are large. The claws on the paws are long and strong. The longest finger is the fourth. The coat of brush-tailed possums is soft and silky, which is why they are constantly hunted. Color ranges from whitish-gray to black or brown. Unlike other representatives of their family, brush-tailed cuscus have quite big ears triangular shape.
Sexual dimorphism appears: adult males have red shoulders, and there is a specific skin gland on the chest, which is more developed in males. In the area of ​​the anus there is also a specific skin gland that produces a secretion with a musky odor. The incisors, especially on the lower jaw, are large, the canines are small. Kuzu has a diploid chromosome number of 20.
Kuzu are climbing arboreal animals with a well-developed pouch for bearing newborn cubs. They prefer to settle in wooded areas or dense bushes. However, there were cases when brush-tailed cuscus were seen in treeless and even semi-desert areas. Animals of this genus have not bypassed the city either - they can be found in parks and gardens.
Kuzu are solitary animals with nocturnal activity. They spend the day in hollows, thickets, sheds and attics, and at night they go out in search of food.
Brushtail cuscus breed 1-2 times a year. There is no special period for mating. In south-eastern Australia, females give birth mainly in May and June