Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata)

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Nocturnal, arboreal, and marsupial, the striped possum, who lives in Australia and New Guinea, is about the size of a squirrel. This fellow munches and lunches on insects, flowers, leaves, fruit, small invertebrates, and sweet local honey. If you’re out and about in an Australian forest of a summer evening, listen for rustling and crunching sounds overhead, and watch for falling leftovers: you may be in the presence of a striped possum.

Thanks to the striped possum and the BBC, I have just learned a new Britishism: the verb “to winkle,” which means to extract or obtain something with difficulty. Striped possums use their longer fourth fingers to winkle grubs out of rotten wood.

Here’s a nice local news feature on striped possums in the Fort Wayne zoo: Wild on WANE.

Tagged as: words