SPECIES:
Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus)
CLASSIFICATION:
Endangered
Being cute doesn't save you either, it seems. There are only about 2000 of these gorgeous mouse-size possums left in the world. Now only found in NSW and Vic, this species of possum has made it to the list of 20 lucky mammals prioritised by the Australian Government for its '20 mammals by 2020' recovery effort. They are the only hibernating marsupial, prefering to live in rocky alpine regions. As is a battle for many native mammals, feral predators are a huge threat to the species, with more work needing to be done to control feral cats and foxes within regions known for Mountain Pygmy-possum populations.
Photo: Thanks to Australian Reptile Park.