Trichosurus caninus
Silhouette: Gavin Prideaux · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The short-eared possum (Trichosurus caninus) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae, endemic to Australia. Found north of Sydney, New South Wales, on Australia's eastern coast, the species was once classed under the mountain brushtail possum, its closest relative.
In the wild, they can live for up to 17 years (possibly longer in captivity), maintain a stable territory, and invest significant energy and time rearing their young. Short-eared possums are most commonly found along the southeastern coast of the Australian continent, where they reside in wet rainforests and humid, dense thickets. Wikipedia →
Agonistic call1:10
Australia · 2026
© Marc Anderson · XC1104549 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Australia · 2023
© Dr Pamela Muggeridge · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
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Australia · 2025
© kateboyd · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-eared Possum sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-eared Possum in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in November to January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-eared Possum sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Brisbane, in our data
Brisbane is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Short-eared Possum sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-eared Possum is recorded against all the mammals logged in Brisbane (38 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
