Tina's+report+on+an+endangered+Australian+animal

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**Leadbeaters Possum**
The Leadbeaters Possum is an endangered marsupial.It can be found in the central highlands of Victoria.There are unique aspects to the Leadbeaters Possum ,including its appearance,habitat,diet and breeding cycles.

The adult Leadbeaters Possum is small and shy.It weighs between 100-170 grams.The length of its body is about 16-18 cm and the tail is about 16cm.The body and tail are grey.There is a black stripe that runs from the forehead down the back.A black stripe is also present on each check.The underbelly,neck ,and part of the face are white.It has pink on its nose,feet and ears.

The Leadbeaters Possum often lives in a nest in the hollow of very large and old trees .It spends almost 75% of its time in the nest.It can be found in forests.The females are dominant and fight to defend their nests.The males help to defend the nests .They recognize their family members by scent.

The Leadbeaters Possum feeds on insects such as crickets ,spiders,beetles which supply the protein for them.It also eats the sap and gum from trees which provides 80% of their energy.

The Leadbeaters Possum has 2 breeding times, April to June and October to December .It produces 1-2 young in a litter.The litter stays in the pouch for 80 or 90 days.The young are forced to be independent of their mother when the female young are 10 months of age and the male young are 15 months of age.They reach maturity at around age two.

The Leadbeaters Possums are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of 2004.Although they are protected ,they have to face a threat because they make their nests in the hollows of old trees.There are very few of these old trees because of fire and logging .In 2006, the Victoria Government began"Project Possum "(the Australian Geographic Nest Box Project).The aim of the project is to provide artificial nesting sites for Leadbeaters Possums.Experiments have been partially successful ,with 13 out of 96 nest boxes now occupied by Leadbeaters Possums.