By Sandra Tuszynska

I have recently walked into the spare room, to find a brush-tail possum lying on her back, looking like a napping cat. The Latin name of this creature is Trichosurus vulpecula, meaning  “little fox” and in Greek meaning “furry tailed”.

Resident Brush-tail possum, sleeping on a desk, in a spare room, just like a domesticated cat.

Normally she sleeps in the roof, as the building is unfinished, so there is a large gap between the roof and the inbuilt shipping container, which it covers. On this hot day though, the possum decided to try out the desk in the spare room, which she could easily walk into as it has only a piece of screen hanging over the entrance.

I thought she was dead or injured to have ended up lying on her back like that, but she was breathing. Obviously tired and not too eager to move despite the disruption, she continued to lie there as I took several photos of her very cute face.

Brush-tail possum, looking gorgeous.

When I checked up on her later, she was on her side and I felt certain that there was nothing wrong with her, she was simply sleeping there that day. I thought that maybe the fact that it was really hot, has made her choose to come down from the roof, and try the breezy room instead, but other days have been hotter and she was presumably in the roof.

I found out that possums like to sleep in dark, hidden places, not in the open like that, all exposed and in broad day light. I kind of gathered that, and this is why I thought it abnormal. Nonetheless, I have found this very adorable, it felt like more like having a pet cat snoozing on the desk, as I imagine they often do.