Mountain Pygmy Possum
Burramys parvus
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The mountain pygmy possum was first discovered from fossils in 1895 and it was believed to be extinct until 1966, when skiers on Mount Hotham in Victoria, Australia found one moving about a woodpile at their ski lodge. Only ~2,000 remain in the wild.¹
Climate change and habitat loss are key threats for the species. As our winters become shorter, snow melts earlier and the possums can become frozen in their hibernating burrows.²
Our Gift to You!
The Mountain Pygmy Possum greeting card designed by artist Mari Novotny. Information in card connects species to climate change. Color it in digitally or print it out on recycled paper!
Featured Non-Profit:
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy's (AWC) mission is to effectively conserve all Australian native animal species and their habitats. The AWC partners with indigenous communities and scientists to help protect the land and improve Australia's biodiversity. Wildlife habitats are not only homes for creatures - they also store carbon. Carbon stored in places like trees and soil decreases atmospheric carbon dioxide; protecting these habitats helps limit atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations across the globe.³
MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
SOURCES
¹ To save a species on the brink, look to where its ancestors thrived, National Geographic - Matt Simon, Nov. 2019
² Menkhorst, P., Broome, L. & Driessen, M. 2008. Burramys parvus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T3339A9775825. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T3339A9775825.en. Accessed on 24 August 2022.
³ Biodiversity and Climate Change. European Commission. Accessed on 26 October 2022.