Spot the possum

While I was outside last evening cooking some snags for dinner on the barbeque I noticed I was being observed by one of the brushtail possums who live in the trees near our house.
 
Brushtail possums are marsupials and are protected in Australia. They are nocturnal animals and are active at night; they usually spend the day sleeping. They are about as big as domestic cats, and have a pointed snout, pink nose, long whiskers and large ears. They also have sharp claws, which they use to climb trees and comb their fur. They feed on leaves, buds, flowers, including our pansies, and fruits, including our mandarins! They have strong teeth and often use their front paws to hold their food while eating.
  
Brushtail possums are social animals and remain in contact with their group through sounds and scents. They vocalise with clicks, grunts, hisses, alarm chatters, guttural coughs, and screeching. At times, particularly during the breeding season, they make piercing screeches in the middle of the night to establish territories and warn off predators. It’s not uncommon for them to wake us up with their noises.
 
Brushtail possums have a single young born in autumn or spring. Their gestation period is about 17 days. The baby spends around six months in the pouch, one to two months riding on its mother's back until it is weaned and leaves Mum at 7–16 months old.
 
The extra photo provides a closer look at our possum and you can see why it is called a brushtail possum.