Call for photos for new possum monitoring app

Call for photos for new possum monitoring app

Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Many of Australia’s possums and gliders are under threat. Good information about where different species are greatly assists conservation programs. Members of the public can play a valuable role in helping to collect this information in their own backyards, and surrounding parks and natural areas.

To help people share sightings of possums and gliders we are adding a section on possums and gliders to the free CAUL Urban Wildlife App. The app will also include photos and other information to help people correctly identify the different species. The app will be free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play in June 2019!


Who is involved?

The project is a collaboration between the Threatened Species Recovery Hub (TSR Hub) and the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (CAUL Hub) of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program. The project leader is Dr Rochelle Steven from the University of Queensland.


How can you help?

To create the app we need images of different possum and glider species in their natural environments. The photos need to be zoomed in enough to clearly show the animal and ideally also distinguishing features like tails. Additionally photos need to be landscape and at least 300 dpi; even higher resolution is better. See the example photos below.  










We are looking for photos of these species. If you have one that you think is suitable we would love to hear from you.

Common name Scientific name
Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus
Long-tailed Pygmy-possum Cercartetus caudatus
Little Pygmy-possum
Cercartetus lepidus
Western Pygmy-possum
Cercartetus concinnus
Eastern Pygmy-possum
Cercartetus nanus
Striped Possum
Dactylopsila trivirgata
Leadbeater's Possum
Gymnobelideus leadbeateri
Yellow-bellied Glider
Petaurus australis
Sugar Glider
Petaurus breviceps
Mahogany Glider
Petaurus gracilis
Squirrel Glider
Petaurus norfolcensis
Lemuroid Ringtail Possum
Hemibelideus lemuroides
Greater Glider
Petauroides volans
Rock Ringtail Possum
Petropseudes dahli
Green Ringtail Possum
Pseudochirops archeri
Daintree River Ringtail Possum             
Pseudochirulus cinereus
Herbert River Ringtail Possum
Pseudochirulus herbertensis           
Western Ringtail Possum
Pseudocheirus occidentalis
Common Ringtail Possum
Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Honey Possum
Tarsipes rostratus
Feathertail Glider
Acrobates pygmaeus
Common Spotted Cuscus
Spilocuscus maculatus
Southern Common Cuscus
Phalanger mimicus
Short-eared Possum
Trichosurus caninus
Mountain Brushtail Possum
Trichosurus cunninghami
Common Brushtail Possum
Trichosurus vulpecula
Scaly-tailed Possum
Wyulda squamicaudata


Sending in your photos

Please forward your images to Dr Rochelle Steven (r.steven@uq.edu.au). Please supply the highest resolution you have available. If you have multiple images to share, please contact Rochelle to discuss options of how best to share these.

Include the following information:
  • photographer name
  • location photo was taken
  • date photo was taken (if known)
  • what species you think it is (if known)
Please also confirm that you give consent to the University of Queensland, TSR Hub and CAUL Hub to use your photo in the Urban Wildlife App and in materials used to promote the app.

Top image: Southern Common Cuscus. Photo: C.N. Zdenek & A.J. Burnett CC BY-SA4.0 Wikimedia Commons 
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