Trichosurus fossil map
Where fossils of Trichosurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04 million years ago to the present (Aquitanian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Phalangeridae |
| Named by | Lesson 1828 |
| Fossil records | 58 occurrences at 23 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Australia |
| Rock formations | txn:40120, Grange Burn, Rowsley |
About Trichosurus
The brushtail possums are the members of the genus Trichosurus in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hypaxial muscles from the epipubic to the pelvis, much like in placental mammals, meaning that their breathing cycle is more similar to the latter than to that of other non-eutherian mammals. In general, they are more terrestrially oriented than other possums, and in some ways might parallel primates.
The genus contains these species:
Northern brushtail possum, T. arnhemensis
Short-eared possum, T. caninus
Mountain brushtail possum, T. cunninghami
Coppery brushtail possum, T. johnstonii
Common brushtail possum, T. vulpecula
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Brushtail possum (revision 1354929710), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q656173.
