What Possum ?

By now you might be asking, "How do I tell the difference between Brush and Ring tail possums?"

The first difference is the most obvious... it's their tails !

Ginger, Female Juvenile Brush-tail 

In South Australia the Brush tail Possum's tail is all fluffy & bushy and usually dark gray to black, where as the Ring tail has a white or light creamy tip, somewhat like it's been dipped in a paint pot. (There are regional differences and variations)

Both have a bare patch on the underside of the tail to help with grip. 

Cooper and Mini, Juvanile Ring Tails 

Other less obvious differences are the size of an adult Ring-tail is about 1/2 that of an adult Brushy which can get into the 4kg size range (or as a comparison, small dog/large cat size)

The ears of a Ring-tail are more rounded and their faces more mouse like than the Brushy. The eye colour of a Ring-tail is usually lighter brown than the Brushy, which can be almost black and Ring-tails generally have a dark nose, whereas the Brushy has a pink tip. Both have fur that ranges from mid to dark gray over cream to white base, but again (as these photo's show, there are many variations)

Mini, Female Ringtail showing colouration and facial features.

Star & Luna, Brush-tails showing different colouration & facial features.

Then again... as a baby, Pinkies (fur less) or slightly furred possums look a lot like a baby macropod (Kangaroo, Wallaby etc)

Baby Brush-tail.