Endangered Leadbeater's possum found in Kosciuszko National Park
A forest expert says after decades of speculation, scientists may have stumbled upon a new subspecies of the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum inside Kosciuszko National Park.
Forest ecologist David Lindenmayer said while the possum was thought to be extinct in New South Wales, a research team from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water had likely stumbled across a new subspecies of the animal.
After reviewing almost 1 million images from ground-based wildlife cameras set up to survey the also critically endangered smoky mouse, the possum was spotted in seven photos taken over a period of just 10 seconds in October.
The images weren't discovered until last week.
"It looks like a sugar glider, except it's not a glider," Professor Lindenmayer said.
"It's a jumping possum that moves like greased lightning in the forest understorey, and this really illustrates the importance of large, protected areas like Kosciuszko National Park."
All that was previously known about the mammal's NSW population was from fossil records from around the Yarrangobilly Caves and the Wombeyan Caves, outside Goulburn.
"I think this is a relic population that has always been there, just in very small numbers that are very hard to detect," Professor Lindenmayer said.
"This new discovery is very significant because other subspecies of the possum in Victoria are now getting perilously close to being lost.
"There is a lowland population in southern Victoria, which is now down to about 40 individuals.
"This new discovery shows there are some other safety populations outside that one."
Two Leadbeater's possums were recently released into Coranderrk Bushland Nature Conservation Reserve in Victoria, in a decade-long effort to help rehabilitate the species.
Professor Lindenmayer said after a climate model dating back to 1989 had predicted the possible presence of the marsupial in Kosciuszko National Park, he had been unable to sight the animal.
"I spent several months wandering around the park doing night-time surveys and daytime vegetation assessments, and I never saw one in the park," he said.
"I had a feeling it might be there, so this new discovery is wonderful news."
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the department would now conduct further surveys on the population.
"It's an amazing discovery that we weren't expecting," she said.
"We are really hopeful that this means this possum that we thought was previously extinct in NSW, is actually making a recovery."
Ms Sharpe said the department would work with Victorian authorities on better understanding the species.
"We know there are many threatened species, so to find one in New South Wales that we thought was extinct gives great hope to all our environmental programs that animals can return if we look after their habitat," she said.
Professor Lindenmayer said while improvements in survey technology, such as cameras, had helped lead to the discovery, more would not be known until the population's genes were sequenced.
"I think the population has been quite isolated from the populations in central Victoria, and they are not necessarily an easy animal to catch, but they are [able to be trapped] with the right techniques," he said.
"It will be possible to take small tissue or hair samples to work out what its genetics are to see whether it's closely or distantly related to the animals in Victoria."
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