[Last updated 24th Sept 2026]


Possum Photos


The nestbox videos don't give a very good idea of what the possums look like in "person", so I've included some photos of them here. To start with, I've just put one photo of each possum with a very brief biography. You can click on the photo for a larger image. Later I'll try to expand this into more of a gallery.


There are a lot of unknowns with these biographies. For instance, with the brushtails it is almost impossible to tell who is the father of any of the babies; brushtails don't form pairs and there are often a number of eligible males around during breeding season.


Also, baby possums seem to leave the area soon after they become independent. It's likely that some of these babies have returned as adults, but it's not always possible to tell: The baby Kiki certainly returned as an adult after her mother disappeared, and it's likely that Queek and Švejk also did.


Index (Alphabetical)

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z


More Info on Photos: [show]




Brushtails (In order of first seen)

Ginger
Ginger

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: November 2004
Last Seen: January 2006
Mother: unknown
Children: Cocoa and Kulfi

Ginger was the first possum we knew. She was named after her love for gingerbread; one night she was found outside a window where a gingerbread house was sitting. Ginger was one of the few possums who wouldn't bite the unprotected toes of humans. I don't know what became of her; it seems that she left the area when her daughter Cocoa grew up.


Cocoa
Cocoa

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Right ear torn
First Seen: June 2005
Last Seen: August 2007 (killed by dog)
Mother: Ginger
Children: Queek, Švejk and Kwila

Cocoa had a lot of character. She seemed to get into trouble more often than any other possum. She got smeared with tar when young. Later her ear got torn nearly in half and once she was found in a tree, in the middle of the day, exhausted and being mobbed by birds.


Unfortunately, Cocoa was killed by a neighbour's dog.


Blackbeard
Blackbeard

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Black marking under chin resembling a beard. Colouring became very rufous over time.
First Seen: September 2005
Last Seen: October 2007
Mother: unknown

Blackbeard was the first male possum we knew. He was the dominant male in the area for a while.


Kulfi
Kulfi

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: December 2005
Last Seen: September 2006
Mother: Ginger

Left home when he became independent. He may have briefly visited in September 2006, but we are not certain this was him. It's also possible that the possum we named Leopold was actually Kulfi grown up.


Olaf
Olaf

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Large and strong
First Seen: August 2006
Last Seen: October 2006
Mother: unknown

Olaf was a marauding male who stayed around for a few months in 2006. Although particularly big and strong, he wasn't fierce or obnoxious. He was like a big teddy-bear.


Queek
Queek

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Blueish patch on left eyeball where he received a scratch.
First Seen: August 2006
Last Seen: May 2009
Mother: Cocoa

Queek was one of only two male possums who returned to the area after having to depart as youngsters—or so we believe, there is no certain way of telling that the adult Queek was the same as the baby Queek that we knew.


Svejk
Švejk

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Tip of tail completely bald for several centimetres. Muscular. Became very rufous over time.
First Seen: January 2007
Last Seen: December 2012
Mother: Cocoa

Švejk is the other male possum who returned to the area after having to depart as a youngster. As with Queek, there is no certain way of telling that the adult Švejk was the same as the baby Švejk, however he was particularly similar in looks and personality.


Švejk was the dominant male in the area for some time.


Leopold
Leopold

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: May 2007
Last Seen: May 2007
Mother: unknown

Visited briefly. It is possible that this possum was actually Kulfi grown up.


Kwila
Kwila

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2007
Last Seen: October 2007
Mother: Cocoa

Kwila was still very young when her mother Cocoa was killed and she appears to have been chased out of the area soon after, probably by Jezebel or Leena


Jezebel
Jezebel

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Very bushy tail with white tip
First Seen: September 2007
Last Seen: September 2007
Mother: unknown
Children: possibly Leena

Came into the area after Cocoa was killed and harassed Kwila. She left soon after. It's possible that she was scouting for a territory for Leena, who appeared soon afterwards and may have been her daughter.


Hazel
Hazel

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Eyes always looked red in photographs
First Seen: November 2007
Last Seen: November 2007
Mother: unknown

Never visited the house. Was usually only seen from a distance.


Basil
Basil

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: The outer edges of the inside of his ears were a peculiar silver-grey colour (not obvious in the photo) which gave the impression they were glowing. White tip on tail.
First Seen: November 2007
Last Seen: January 2008
Mother: unknown
Children: May be Kiki's father

While most possums would take food from hand in a gentle manner, Basil would often swipe with his claws.


Leena
Leena

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Small but noticeable white tip on tail.
First Seen: February 2008
Last Seen: October 2010
Mother: unknown, but may have been Jezebel
Children: Kiki, Kirra, Yoshi and Java

Leena took over the area after Cocoa was killed. Although a shy and gentle possum (towards humans), she had a habit of attacking any male possums sleeping in boxes in her territory. Leena disappeared suddenly in October 2010, leaving her baby Java (who at that stage was barely independent) to fend for herself. Under the circumstances it seems likely she was killed at this time.


Kiki
Kiki

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Missing middle toe on front left foot.
First Seen: September 2008
Last Seen: October 2015
Mother: Leena
Children: (13 in total) Fifi, Ninja, Zorba, Piranha, Lex, Flea, Nosferatu, Spock, Amiri, Oz, Comet, Toto and Kyoo

Once independent, Kiki was chased out of the area by her mother Leena, but took up residence nearby. During this time she occasionally visited—usually to show us her new babies (or maybe to show her babies a food-source which existed in the area). After Leena disappeared, Kiki reclaimed this territory as her own and was the dominant female for many years. Her daughter Toto was probably destined to take her place, but was chased out of the area by Sasha.


Kirra
Kirra

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Comparatively golden coloured fur
First Seen: March 2009
Last Seen: October 2009 (found dead on the road, apparently killed by a car)
Mother: Leena

They say (although I'm not sure how accurate this is) that 80% of male possums don't survive their first year, with the majority being killed soon after they become independent. Unfortunately Kirra was part of this 80%.


Hulot
Hulot

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Long-legged appearance.
First Seen: August 2009
Last Seen: April 2010
Mother: unknown

A marauding male who appears to have been chased out of the area by Švejk. His gangly, bumbling appearance reminded us of Monsieur Hulot.


Fifi
Fifi

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail
First Seen: October 2009
Last Seen: February 2010
Mother: Kiki
Children: unknown

We never got to see much of Fifi, who was Kiki's baby while she was in exile. At one stage, the young Fifi squeezed through an incredibly small gap to sleep in the ceiling space.


Pesto
Pesto

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: March 2010
Last Seen: September 2010
Mother: unknown

A marauding male, possibly also chased out of the area by Švejk.


Yoshi
Yoshi

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Considerable white tip on tail
First Seen: November 2009
Last Seen: August 2010
Mother: Leena
Children: one un-named male baby

When independent she took to sleeping in a stack of tyres in the garage. Once she had a baby of her own, she was chased off by Leena. We hadn't got around to naming the baby (who we had only seen a couple of times) before this happened.


Ninja
Ninja

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: March 2010
Last Seen: May 2010
Mother: Kiki
Children: unknown

Another of Kiki's babies while in exile.


Java
Java

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2010
Last Seen: October 2010
Mother: Leena
Children: unknown

Was chased out of the area by her older sister Kiki soon after her mother Leena disappeared.


Zorba
Zorba

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Golden coloured fur similar to Kirra and Lex
First Seen: October 2010
Last Seen: December 2010
Mother: Kiki

Left home when he became independent and has not been seen since.


Piranha
Piranha

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail. Fierce (although not bad-tempered).
First Seen: February 2011
Last Seen: September 2011
Mother: Kiki

He remained in the area for much longer than his older brother Zorba. He was fairly fierce as a baby and was heard to make an adult-sounding puffing noise while still on his mother's back. He is famous for the epic fight where he repelled the much larger Marlon when he was sleeping in box 5.


Although he has now left the area, we have high hopes for his survival.


Dexter
Dexter

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: No white on tail.
First Seen: May 2011
Last Seen: Aug 2014
Mother: unknown

A young male who visited for a short period early in 2011. He took food from hand the first night he came to the house. This lack of shyness makes me think he might be one of the young males from this area coming back, however he didn't look like Zorba, who was the only one of the right age.


Dexter was apparently seen again at various times in 2012, 2013 and 2014, however he has no unambiguous distinguishing marks and I can't be certain that these were all the same possum.


Marlon
Marlon

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Tip of tail partly bald and coloured white
First Seen: July 2011
Last Seen: March 2013
Mother: unknown

Marlon closely resembles Švejk and may be related to him.


He was initially particularly shy of humans and it took several months before he would take food by hand. On a couple of occasions he would sleep in one box or other almost every night for an extended period.


Lex
Lex

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Initially a very orange coloured baby, then became a golden colour like Kirra. Small amount of white on tip of tail
First Seen: August 2011
Last Seen: December 2011 (found dead in a neighbour's garage, after apparently having been hit by a car)
Mother: Kiki

He was particularly fond of practicing gymnastics on the balcony railing wires. Like Kirra, Lex was one of the unfortunate majority of young male possums who don't make it to adulthood.


Flea
Flea

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Very pronounced white tip on tail
First Seen: January 2012
Last Seen: October 2012
Mother: Kiki
Children: One unnamed baby of unknown gender

Flea was a very active and acrobatic possum. Even when she was still inside the pouch, she would flail around enough to almost overbalance her mother.


Flea has been chased out of the area by Kiki and hasn't visited since. She had a baby in the pouch when she was chased out. It is possible that this baby visited box 3 on 12th Feb 2013.


Pinot
Pinot

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Looks similar to Marlon but younger and with a tail more like Kiki's.
First Seen: March 2012
Last Seen: June 2013
Mother: unknown

A visiting male similar to Marlon, but seemed to be younger and lower down on the packing order. Initially nervous (but not as nervous as Marlon); it was several weeks before he would take food from hand, but eventuqally became very bold towards humans and cheeky to other possums. He was also a bit of an exhibitionist; he was seen mating with both Kiki and Flea.


Pinot never needed to be treated with antibiotics, despite having suffering injuries that would have normally required such treatment.


Wesley
Wesley

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: No white on tail. Central stripe on face almost completely missing. Very nervous manner.
First Seen: June 2012
Last Seen: April 2013
Mother: unknown

Another visiting male probably around the same age as Pinot. He has a distinctive walk and manner.


Nosferatu
Nosferatu

Gender: Uncertain, possibly male
Distinguishing marks: No white on tail.
First Seen: August 2012
Last Seen: August 2012 (disappeared, may have been eaten by python)
Mother: Kiki

Named because of his expression in the photo shown (click on this picture to see a larger version). Nosferatu has not been seen since late August 2012, at which point he was still back-riding and occasionally suckling — far too young to go off on his own. Given the large number of carpet pythons in the area around this time, it's quite possible he fell victim to one.


Spock
Spock

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: No white on tail. Patch of fur missing from top of nose.
First Seen: February 2013
Last Seen: July 2013
Mother: Kiki

Intelligent and inquisitive. Very gentle and friendly to humans. Also seemed to be somewhat friendly to (or at least tolerant of) the ringtail Wasabi, which is quite unusual.


Amiri
Amiri

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very fluffy tail with no white on it, very slight nick out out of top of left ear.
First Seen: August 2013
Last Seen: April 2014
Mother: Kiki
Father: Possibly Dexter

Amiri was particularly cute and photogenic. Although very mischievous and energetic as a baby in the nest box, he was always calm and well-behaved towards humans. As an adult, he was very smart and agile and seemed to have the ability to move from A to B in complete silence.


Baxter
Baxter

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Grey-looking, no rufous colouring
First Seen: September 2013
Last Seen: September 2013
Mother: unknown

This possum was found trapped in the ceiling and hasn't been seen since he was released.


Deckard
Deckard

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Fluffy tail
First Seen: September 2013
Last Seen: September 2013
Mother: unknown

Visited Box 2 once, where he fought with and ejected the much larger Dexter. Hasn't been seen since.


Thor
Thor

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Scratched face and multiple nicks out of ears.
First Seen: January 2014
Last Seen: January 2014

Only visited once. Looks more like a real Thor than the comparatively young and well-groomed Hollywood version. Old and battle-scarred but in very good condition.


Oz
Oz

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Shorter ears than most brushtails
First Seen: February 2014
Last Seen: August 2014
Mother: Kiki
Father: Probably Dexter

Highly active and inquisitive. May have left the nest box to go exploring while still a young baby under the care of Kiki. Despite his inquisitive nature, Oz was lucky or smart enough to avoid suffering any injuries the entire time he was here (usually possums pick up at least a few scratches or pluckings, and many require treatment for infections).


Prok
Prok

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Unusual white tip on tail almost identical to Flea
First Seen: April 2014
Last Seen: January 2015
Parents: May be related to Flea

When Prok first appeared, he was mistaken for Flea because the tip of his tail looked identical to Flea's. Prok occasionally sleept in Box 1 or 3, and was also seen in the garage door. He was very shy of humans and didn't taken food from hand, although will often take food left out for him when no one is present. Prok seemed to be lower down on the pecking order than the older Dexter and has been seen being chased by him.


Comet
Comet

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Was injured underneath the tail near the tip and the tail is slightly swollen in this area and from some angles looks kinked.
First Seen: August 2014
Last Seen: August 2015
Mother: Kiki

Comet was even more of an exploring possum than his older brother Oz. He slept on his own in the ceiling space once while still under the care of Kiki. He stayed in the area much longer than any of Kiki's other babies.


Farley
Farley

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very rufous colouring. Tail tapered at the end. Lean body.
First Seen: January 2015
Last Seen: April 2017
Mother: unknown

Farley was the dominant male for a couple of years. In Feb 2015, he started using the possum boxes and since then had slept in boxes pretty much every night. In March 2015 he suddenly decided to take food from hand and immediately become confident around humans.


Farley was a pushy possum. Rather than wait for food, he would crane forward and snatch with his hands. He often came into house to toe-bite. He seemed to suffer from pluckings and wounds considerably more often than other possums.


Toto
Toto

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: February 2015
Last Seen: March 2017
Mother: Kiki
Children: One baby which disappeared when very young. Had another baby in the pouch when she left the area in 2016

Toto was a calm and confident possum and also seemed to be skillful at evading fights with larger possums. In Sept 2015 she took up living in the ceiling and had a baby in the pouch. This baby disappeared at around Nov 2015. She left the area in Aug 2016, but briefly returned for a few visits during Feb to Mar 2017.


Sasha
Sasha

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Very fluffy tail. Somewhat short face. Colouring is less rufous and more contrasty than most possums. Larger than most possums.
First Seen: April 2015
Last Seen: June 2024
Children: (17 known, would have had children prior to Puck) Puck, Flynn, Mischa, Raffi, Arrow, Tarzan, Pogo, Zak, Miel, Rahmet, Wink, Shane, Blake, Darcel, Aeon, Lorien and Q-Bit

Sasha is an adult female who suddenly appeared in the area. She was bold enough to take food from hand the first time she visited. Her size and appearance are unusual for this area and it is possible she was (illegally) relocated here from a relatively distant location. She was the dominant female in the area of the house until her daughter Wink took over, at which time she moved to the bottom of the garden but no longer visited the house.


Puck
Puck

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2015
Last Seen: September 2015
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Farley

Puck was a typical baby possum; bold, energetic and a trial to his mother. He disappeared when still very young and probably suffered some mishap.


Kyoo
Kyoo

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: September 2015
Last Seen: October 2015
Mother: Kiki
Father: Probably Farley

Kyoo looked like another confident youngster. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of him, as Kiki left the area soon after he started to back-ride.


Flynn
Flynn

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: January 2016
Last Seen: June 2016
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Farley

Flynn was a toe-biter like his parents. Although (when last seen) was cautious due to his relative youth, he was persistent and will probably turn out pushy like his father.


Mischa
Mischa

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Right eye had traces of an injury. Tail somewhat bald at the tip.
First Seen: July 2016
Last Seen: March 2017
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Farley

Mischa had the misfortune to have a tick attach itself under his right eye-lid when he was still very young. After it dropped off, the eyeball had turned almost completely blue and looked in bad shape but got better over time. Despite this setback, Mischa was bold and adventurous and ventured further into the house than either of his parents. He grew to be large and muscular (for his age) and has now left the area permanently.


Raffi
Raffi

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very bushy black tail.
First Seen: January 2017
Last Seen: August 2017
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Farley

Raffi seemed to be less aggressive towards other possums than some youngsters and also seems more inclined to sleep in than other male possums. It is not clear whether this would have changed as he grew older, because he was chased out of the area at a young age (early June 2017). His being chased out earlier than normal may be because his father left the area around that time, and the incoming male, Marlowe didn't want him around. He was brave enough to come back for a visit in August 2017.


Marlowe
Marlowe

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Large and strong
First Seen: December 2016
Last Seen: March 2018
Mother: Unknown

Marlowe resembles Thor and may be his offspring. He took over from Farley as the dominant male in the area. Until August 2017, he kept away from the house and was difficult to photograph but reached the stage where he would occasionally visit and accept food from hand.


Arrow
Arrow

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Bushy tail like Sasha. Somewhat arrow-shaped head.
First Seen: August 2017
Last Seen: March 2018
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Farley

Somewhat large for his age. Something of a toe-biter when he came into the house, and occasionally scratches fingers but generally well-behaved towards humans.


Tarzan
Tarzan

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Has a comparatively short face very much like Sasha.
First Seen: January 2018
Last Seen: July 2018
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Marlowe

Tarzan seemed to have a particularly strong toe-biting nature and chased after feet vigorously. He grew into a large fluffy possum before leaving the area.


Bilbo
Bilbo

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Small and somewhat rufous around the shoulders
First Seen: August 2018
Last Seen: December 2019
Mother: Unknown

It is possible that Bilbo took over from Marlowe as dominant male mid 2018, however neither possum was visiting at the time, so it is not clear what happened when. As Bilbo was a fairly small possum, he may have been mistaken for Tarzan when sleeping in some of the nest boxes.


He disappeared early in December 2019 and was replaced by Marcel.


Pogo
Pogo

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Tip of tail has a bald section.
First Seen: August 2018
Last Seen: March 2019
Mother: Sasha
Father: Possibly Bilbo

A very cute possum. He menaced rather than bit toes; he would rush at a person's feet in a disconcerting manner, but then seemed to want to trip the person up rather than bite their toes. His father could be either Marlowe or Bilbo , but Bilbo was particularly indulgent towards him.


Zak
Zak

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: January 2019
Last Seen: March 2019
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Bilbo

Zak was a cute little baby possum. Unfortunately he disappeared on the 3rd March 2019. He was still back-riding at this stage and almost certainly suffered from some mishap.


Miel
Miel

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: July 2019
Last Seen: January 2020
Mother: Sasha
Father: Probably Bilbo

Miel (French for honey) was named for his colour and sweet nature. When he was here he avoided any injuries and seemed to have a smart and cautious nature.


Marcel
Marcel

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Relatively small. Tail has a slight lump underneath towards the tip as if it has been injured at some stage.
First Seen: December 2019
Last Seen: October 2021 [killed by a car 23rd Oct 2021]

Marcel took taken over from Bilbo as the dominant male brushtail in the area. Marcel was at first a small possum and suffered a lot of wounds and plucking but grew strong and confident. At one stage he required antibiotics for a wound and was a perfect patient, always arriving at the same time every night. Sadly, he was killed by a car on the road.


Rahmet
Rahmet

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Extremely fluffy tail, tear at tip of left ear
Mother: Sasha
Children: Pax
First Seen: December 2019
Last Seen: November 2020 [found dead near neighbour's garage 28th Nov 2020]

Rahmet was first thought to be a boy possum; Sasha had nine boys in a row prior to Rahmet and Rahmet at first looked just like the others. Rahmet soon had her first baby, Pax and quickly learned how to be a good mother. She appeared to be sharing the area relatively peacefully with her mother Sasha. It is not clear what happened to her; she was smart and vigilant and in good health and I would have thought she was one of the least likely to meet with an accident. It is possible she had been crushed by a python.


Rohan
Rohan

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Somewhat large. Rufous colour
First Seen: January 2019
Last Seen: February 2020

Visited briefly during breeding season. I thought he would oust the much smaller Marcel as the dominant male in the area but he departed after a short time and hasn't been seen since.


Wink
Wink

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Very fluffy and has a broad and fluffy tail. Right ear torn.
Mother: Sasha
Children: (7) Blossom, Hapi, Grasshopper, Sun, Lumen, Grok and Spark.
First Seen: July 2020
Last Seen: December 2024 (was found dead on 7th Dec 2024)

Wink got her name because she winked at the humans the first time she was seen out of the pouch. She is pushy towards humans but (almost always) very gentle to them. After a brief but serious fight, she took over from her mother Sasha as the dominant possum in the area.


She was found dead on the floor of the garage on the 7th Dec 2024 and probably died the previous day. The cause of death is unknown. She had a pinky (Spark her 7th baby) in her pouch at the time, but sadly, he was unable to be saved.


Pax
Pax

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Body is slighly more rufous in colour than other females.
Mother: Rahmet
Children: Unknown; appears to have lost her first baby.
First Seen: September 2020
Last Seen: September 2021

Pax was orphaned at a young age but managed to survive without illness or injury. She mostly stayed apart from the other possums and appears to have been pushed out of the area when Sasha moved into the territory she was occupying after being displaced by Wink.


Shane
Shane

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Sasha
Children: Jedi
First Seen: January 2021
Last Seen: November 2021

Shane was Sasha's third female baby in a row. Although not shy, she was low down on the pecking order and got chased off by the other females.


Walt
Walt

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Has a golden tip on his tail. Very nervous manner.
First Seen: April 2021
Last Seen: May 2022

Walt suddenly appeared late in April 2021 and somehow seemed to peacefully coexist with the dominant male Marcel. He has a very nervous and jumpy manner and had at least twice fallen off the balcony handrail as a result. Walt is the first possum in a number of years to have a white-tipped (or actually more like golden-tipped) tail.


Blake
Blake

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Sasha
Father: possibly Marcel
First Seen: July 2021
Last Seen: November 2021

Blake was a smart and confident possum.


Blossom
Blossom

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Wink
Children: Rae, Joule, Sprout, Drak, Bisou and an as-yet unnamed baby.
First Seen: August 2021
Last Seen: September 2026

Blossom is particularly cute but somewhat liable to snatch at food offered by humans. In March 2022 she left the area, and it was thought she was gone for good, but a couple of months later she started appearing at the house again. Her territory included Box 8 but probably extended to neighbouring houses on the North. Unusually, she missed out a breeding season in late 2022/early 2023.

About two weeks after her mother Wink died, she took over Wink's territory and no longer uses box 8, but instead use boxes 2, 3 and 7.

Jedi
Jedi

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Shane
First Seen: September 2021
Last Seen: November 2021

Jedi is particuarly tough and independent. While still very young, she was attacked by her aunt Wink and later got separated from her mother and had to spend a whole day on her own, at a time when she was still suckling. Owing to her mother's precarious position in the area, she has had less human contact than other possums of her age.


Darcel
Darcel

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Sasha
First Seen: January 2022
Last Seen: 9th April 2022 - Was found dead under a power line 11th April 2022

Darcel was probably Marcel's baby and he shared his calm and competent manner. He was a cautious possum and I thought he would do well but unfortunately he got unlucky just when he was starting to go exploring on this own


Hapi
Hapi

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Wink
First Seen: February 2022
Last Seen: August 2022

Hapi first started back-riding at the same time as massive flooding started (about a year's worth of rain fell in three days) and he was named after the ancient Egyptian god associated with the flooding of the Nile.


Kulan
Kulan

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2022
Last Seen: March 2023

Kulan replaced Walt as the dominant male in the area. He had probably been in the area for a while - possibly even while Walt was still around - but only approached the humans in August 2022. He has almost an opposite personality to Walt; he was incredibly calm around humans. Early in 2023 he was replaced by Vincent


Guran
Guran

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Several small notches out of each ear
First Seen: July 2022
Last Seen: April 2023

Guran was seen on the possum box cameras before he was seen in the yard. He always kept his distance from humans. Although he was present in the area at the same time as Kulan I don't think he challenged Kulan for the territory.


Aeon
Aeon

Gender:Probably Male
Distinguishing marks: White tip on his tail just like Walt
Mother: Sasha
Father: probably Walt
First Seen: August 2022
Last Seen: December 2022


Grasshopper
Grasshopper

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Wink
First Seen: August 2022
Last Seen: February 2023


Rae
Rae

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Blossom
First Seen: August 2022
Last Seen: December 2022


Sun
Sun

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Wink
First Seen: February 2023
Last Seen: October 2023

For a long time I was convinced that Sun was male, but in August 2023 a pouch became visible. Sun left the area with a baby in her pouch late in 2023.


Lorien
Lorien

Gender: Unknown suspected to be male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Sasha
First Seen: March 2023
Last Seen: May 2023

Lorien was still back-riding when Sasha stopped visiting the house, consequently Lorien never got familiar with the humans and vice-versa. After Lorien left Sasha, Lorien only once visited a possum box and never visited the house.


Vincent
Vincent

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:Tip of right ear clipped
First Seen: April 2023
Last Seen: August 2024

Vincent took over from Walt as the dominant male in early 2023. He was very gentle towards humans and respectful towards other possums. He was replaced by Laslo in August 2024.


Joule
Joule

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Blossom
First Seen: August 2023
Last Seen: March 2024

Joule was a bold but prudent youngster. He didn't snatch at food like his mother and didn't bite toes, although he frequently got under foot. He has now left the area.


Lumen
Lumen

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very wide and fluffy tail
Mother: Wink
First Seen: August 2023
Last Seen: July 2024

Lumen has a particularly fluffy tail. He was allowed to stay in the area longer than other young males, possibly because his mother Wink waited a year before having another baby (Grok). Lumen left when Grok was just starting to back-ride. Lumen is a competent possums and managed to avoid any noticeable pluckings or other injuries while he was here.


Q-Bit
Q-Bit

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Sasha
First Seen: August 2023
Last Seen: November 2023

Q-Bit has never been seen outside of nestbox footage. Sasha has been careful to keep him well away from the house - possibly because Joule and Lumen, who were older than Q-Bit, were already in this area and Sasha considered that he stood a better chance elsewhere.


Grok
Grok

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Whites of eyes very visible, making him look like his eyes are looking in different directions. Very broad tail.
Mother: Wink
Father: Possibly Vincent
First Seen: July 2024
Last Seen: March 2025

Grok was somewhat fussy with food, even rejecting delicacies like pancake with maple syrup. Grok often appeared nervous, but possibly looked more nervous than he actually was is owing to his eyes. He was in the garage at the time his mother died but bravely decided to remain it the area for several months afterwards. We thought he had moved out of the area late in Feb 2025 but came back a couple of weeks later.


Laslo
Laslo

Gender: Laslo
Distinguishing marks: Very small chip out of right ear
First Seen: August 2024
Last Seen: March 2025

Laslo took over from Vincent as the dominant male in August 2024. Laslo caught on to how things work here incredibly quickly - he was taking food from hand from the humans the first night he visited. Soon after, he disgraced himself by attacking Grok who was riding on Wink's back at the time, however he picked up that this wasn't acceptable behaviour and afterwards always acted very peaceful and innocent - at least when the humans were around.


Sprout
Sprout

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Very slight white tip on tail
Mother: Blossom
Father: Possibly Vincent
Children: At least one (no photos)
First Seen: October 2024
Last Seen: September 2026

Sprout is a very agile possum and was skilled at leaping from an early age. She is calm around humans and less likely to snatch at food with her claws than her mother. Sprout is Blossom's first female child and initially I thought that the two of them had divided the territory between them; however she moved away in November 2025 when her first baby arrived.


Since then, she was seen occasionally in the distance, and she came back for a visit in September 2026.


Gandalf
Gandalf

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Tip of tail looks grey from above, but white from beneath.
Fater: May be related to Walt
First Seen: April 2025
Last Seen: September 2026

Gandalf took over from Laslo as the dominant male in April 2025. He is good-natured and doesn't snatch at food.


Drak
Zeke

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very rufous fur, scratch inside right ear
First Seen: May 2025
Last Seen: May 2025

Zeke visited only very briefly. He accepted food from the humans almost at once, but it seems that he was here primarily to mate with Sprout.


Drak
Drak

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Blossom
First Seen: July 2025
Last Seen: January 2026

Like his mother Blossom and sister Sprout, he is an agile possum who can run very fast.


He may have returned to the area in May-August 2026, but on balance of probabilities, this was probably another possum who has been named Drake


Bisou
Bisou

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Extremely wide and fluffy tail.
Mother: Blossom
Father: Possibly Gandalf
First Seen: April 2026
Last Seen: September 2026

Bisou is a very small and cute possum. She is calm around humans and doesn't snatch at food like her mother used to.


Drake
Drake

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
Mother: Unknown
First Seen: May 2026
Last Seen: August 2026

Drake is an enigma. He was first thought to be Drak returning to the area for some reason. He strongly resembled Drak and was happy to take food from humans, but Blossom, who is Drak's mother, never chased him off as a mother possum would normally do.


Drake may still actually be Drak, but the probablility is against it.




Ringtails (In order of first seen)

Pumpkin
Pumpkin

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Cheerful expression
First Seen: August 2007 (possibly earlier)
Last Seen: March 2009(?)
Mother: Unknown
Children: Google, Pi and others

A very friendly ringtail. Although we had seen other ringtails before, Pumpkin was the first we got to know.


Google (on right)
Google

Gender: ?
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2007
Last Seen: September 2007(?)
Mother: Pumpkin

On the right in the photo (Pumpkin is on the left). Google was more outgoing possum than hir twin Pi.


Pi
Pi

Gender: ?
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2007
Last Seen: September 2007(?)
Mother: Pumpkin


Gumdrop
Gumdrop

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Scars across the nose. Tip of tail has very little white and is also slightly tiger-striped. Has a triangular bite mark out of the right ear (not shown on photo).
First Seen: September 2009
Last Seen: February 2012 (probably eaten by python)
Mother: Unknown
Children: Rosebud, Gumnut, Chilli, Lychee, Wasabi and others

Gumdrop was around for longer than any previous ringtail. Since she often went long periods without visiting and only occasionally slept in a nestbox. It's unclear how many babies she has had, but it appears to be around ten. On two occasions she had three babies in the pouch simultaneously, which I believe is unusual for a ringtail, who normally only have twins. She would take food from hand. Sadly, she and her baby Lychee were attacked and eaten by a python in nest box 2.


Rosebud (on left)
Rosebud

Gender: Male?
Distinguishing marks: Has a black spot on the white tip of the tail
First Seen: December 2009
Last Seen: April (possibly August) 2010
Mother: Gumdrop
Children: Unknown

On the left in the photo, hiding behind Gumdrop


Gumnut
Gumnut

Gender: Female?
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: August 2010
Last Seen: September 2010
Mother: Gumdrop
Children: Unknown


Chilli
Chilli

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: January 2010
Last Seen: April 2010
Mother: Gumdrop
Children: Unknown


Stilton
Stilton

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Very long white tip on tail
First Seen: April 2011
Last Seen: Late 2011
Mother: Unknown
Children: Unknown, but quite likely Lychee and Wasabi

Named because of his supercilious expression. Wouldn't take food from hand and refused to visit nestboxes.


Lychee
Lychee

Gender: ?
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail mid way between Gumdrop and Stilton
First Seen: October 2011
Last Seen: February 2012 (probably eaten by python)
Mother: Gumdrop
Father: Possibly Stilton
Children: none

Lychee appears to have been with Gumdrop when they were attacked by a carpet python in box 2, and was probably eaten.


Wasabi
Wasabi

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Right eye was injured and had a smaller pupil which was noticeably white. Has a dark spot on the white tip of the tail similar to Rosebud, and also a black spot on his back.
First Seen: October 2011
Last Seen: April 2017
Mother: Gumdrop
Father: Possibly Stilton
Children: Definitely Vindi, Maple, Clover, Koji, Keeta, Nebo and Niva. Most likely Tabasco, Batgirl, Red and others.

Wasabi is much less shy than most other ringtails and would readily take food from hand and enter the house. He had his own schedule and would occasionally go away for months at a time, returning when least expected. In March 2014, and again July 2015 ,he was kept in a cage for nearly a week while being (successfully) treated for a tail infection. He seems to take particularly good care of his offspring.


Tabasco
Tabasco

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Two small nicks out of left ear and one out of right.
First Seen: September 2012
Last Seen: November 2012
Mother: Unknown
Father: Possibly Wasabi

Was probably one of two babies who visited with their mother in September 2012. Did not seem to be very shy but had not taken food from hand. His name was chosen in the hope that, like Wasabi, he will prove to be distasteful to pythons.


Vindi
Vindi

Gender: Probably female
Distinguishing marks: About half of tail is white
First Seen: March 2013
Last Seen: March 2013, Possibly also June 2013
Mother: Possibly Ruby
Father: Wasabi

On left in photo, Wasabi is on the right.


Visited the house in March 2013 with Wasabi who appeared to be looking after her.


Ruby
Ruby

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Cheerful expression. Larger than Tilda
First Seen: March 2013
Last Seen: March 2017 [found dead, probably killed by a python]
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Children: Red, Maple, Clover, Koji, Keeta, Nebo, Niva possibly Vindi, and a number of others who had only been seen briefly and hadn't been named.

Had been seen close to the house for a long time, but only started taken food from hand in June 2015. She visited regularly since that time and since 2016 started bringing her babies to the house. She was found dead early in March 2017 after having apparently being killed by a python.


Tilda
Tilda

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Somewhat mottled/scarred tail. Nick out of right ear. Missing a thumb on her right hand.
First Seen: September 2013 (but most likely June 2013 and probably earlier)
Last Seen: Sept 2015
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Children: Two babies as at Jan 2014, one of whom was probably Batgirl

Was often seen about, sometimes with Wasabi. Built a drey in a wattle tree in the front yard in January 2014. Started to take food from hand in October 2014.


Batgirl
Batgirl

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: January 2014
Last Seen: April 2014
Mother: probably Tilda
Father: probably Wasabi

A very brave and athletic possum. When barely independent, she was not scared to approach humans on her own.


Red
Red

Gender: Unknown
Distinguishing marks: Very red fur with black streaks. Colouring resembles Darth Maul.
First Seen: September 2015
Last Seen: September 2015
Mother: Ruby
Father: probably Wasabi

Visited the house back-riding on Ruby early in September 2015 but hasn't been seen since. Ringtails often keep their babies away from the house, so Red may still be around.


Maple
Maple

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Fairly dark red colour
First Seen: February 2016
Last Seen: November 2016
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi

Visited the house with Ruby and Wasabi, back-riding on Ruby. Is a twin with Clover. Maple has been seen looking her younger siblings Koji and Keeta.


Clover
Clover

Gender: Unknown
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: February 2016
Last Seen: April 2016 (possibly September 2016)
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi

Is a twin with Maple. Stayed in the trees nearby when his parents visited the house with Maple.


Koji
Koji

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Can be distinguished from Keeta by the white tip of the tail which is approx 1/3 length of the tail.
First Seen: July 2016
Last Seen: March 2019
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi
Children: Probably Akira, Nikita, Leto and Ghani.

Is a twin with Keeta. As a baby was somewhat more outgoing than Keeta, he voraciously grabbed food out of Ruby's mouth and was not scared of humans even when very young. After Ruby was killed in March 2017, he took over looking after his younger siblings Nebo and Niva. Koji was very gentle when taking food from humans and never even accidentally scratched hands.


Keeta
Keeta

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Can be distinguished from Koji by the white tip of the tail which is less than 1/4 length of the tail
First Seen: July 2016
Last Seen: November 2016
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi

Is a twin with Koji. Keeta is a very tough possum and when a baby took being attacked by Sasha in her stride. She was comfortable around humans and would take food from hand.


Nebo
Nebo

Gender: unknown
Distinguishing marks: Can be distinguished from Niva by the white tip of the tail which is compartively long
First Seen: January 2017
Last Seen: March 2017
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi

Is a twin with Niva.


Niva
Niva

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Can be distinguished from Nebo by the white tip of the tail which is compartively short
First Seen: January 2017
Last Seen: April 2017
Mother: Ruby
Father: Wasabi

Is a twin with Nebo. Niva was a very brave and active little ringtail. He was confident but gentle in taking food from humans.


Zoe
Zoë

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Has a distinctive black band high up and black spot low down on the white portion of her tail. Also some small notches in her left ear.
First Seen: March 2017
Last Seen: August 2018
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Children: Akira, Nikita, Leto and Ghanibut had more prior to them.

Zoë was first seen after Ruby was killed. For a long time was very cautious of humans and keept her babies out of sight, but in April 2018 started visiting regularly with Nikita.


Akira
Akira

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Has a little more white on the tail than Nikita
First Seen: January 2018
Last Seen: July 2018
Mother: Zoë
Father: Probably Koji

Twin with Nikita. There has been some confusion about which possum was which because they were difficult to tell apart except when visiting together (which rarely happened).


Nikita
Nikita

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Has a little less white on the tail than Akira
First Seen: January 2018
Last Seen: October 2020
Mother: Zoë
Father: Probably Koji
Children: Ryder, Rune, Koru, Rio, Howl, Muse and other unknown babies.

It's difficult to say whether the adult Nikita currently is the same possum who was named Nikita as a baby. As an adult, Nikita acted very much like father Koji. She was very friendly towards humans and has brought her first babies to show them. Nikita disappeared from September 2019 to January 2020.


Leto
Leto

Gender: Male?
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail about 1/3 of its length
First Seen: July 2018
Last Seen: August 2018
Mother: Zoë
Father: Probably Koji

Twin with Ghani. Appeared somewhat less bold than Ghani.


Ghani
Ghani

Gender: Female?
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail less than 1/4 of its length
First Seen: July 2018
Last Seen: September 2018
Mother: Zoë
Father: Probably Koji

Twin with Leto. Fearlessly entered the house as a youngster.


Pebbles
Pebbles

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail less than 1/4 of its length
First Seen: September 2018
Last Seen: January 2020
Children: At least four known babies, but probably many more.

Pebbles appeared along with Bamm-Bamm in Sept 2018 and did not appear to be any of the known offspring of Koji or Zoë and may be a refugee from land clearing nearby.

Pebbles never approached the humans closely enough to accept food and photos of her are rare. The photo may be of Nikita.


Bamm-Bamm
Bamm-Bamm

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail less than 1/4 of its length
First Seen: September 2018
Last Seen: January 2019?

Bamm-Bamm appeared along with Pebbles in Sept 2018 and, like Pebbles, might be a refugee from elsewhere.


Austen
Austen

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: White tip on tail perhaps 1/3 of its length
First Seen: January 2019
Last Seen: February 2019
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Children: Ryder and Rune

It is not clear exactly when Austen arrived or what his history is. He has probably been confused with Bamm-Bamm on occasions. Nikita has taught him how to take food from humans.


Ryder
Ryder

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: While tip on tail about 1/3 of its length
First Seen: January 2019
Last Seen: March 2019
Mother: Nikita
Father: Austen

Twin with Rune.


Rune
Rune

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: While tip on tail nearly 1/2 of its length
First Seen: January 2019
Last Seen: March 2019
Mother: Nikita
Father: Austen

Twin with Ryder. Rune was particularly friendly with humans and quickly learnt to take food from hand.


Koru
Koru

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: July 2019
Last Seen: October 2019
Mother: Nikita

Koru is the Maori word for the spiral shape of an unfurling fern frond and this name was chosen because when first seen she had her tail curled in a similar shape. Koru was very independent from an early ago but usually keept away from humans. Koru's twin was never seen and could have met with a mishap at an early age.


Omar
Omar

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: 2019
Last Seen: November 2020

Omar seems to be the companion of both Pebbles and Nikita. He has been rarely seen and it is not certain it's the same possum each time.


Rio
Rio

Gender: Female?
Distinguishing marks: Looked very thin
First Seen: April 2020
Last Seen: June 2020
Mother: Nikita

Accompanied Nikita to the house once on the 20th April 2020. Looks plump in the photo but is actually a thin possum.


Howl
Howl

Gender: Male?
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: July 2020
Last Seen: July 2020
Mother: Nikita
Father: Omar?

Twin with Muse. Howl was so named because one of the twins was making noises when still in the pouch, and Howl was the slightly more bold of the two so this was atrributed to him.


Muse
Muse

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: July 2020
Last Seen: July 2020
Mother: Nikita
Father: Omar?

Twin with Howl.


Mr Rogers
Mr Rogers

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Cataract in left eye
First Seen: August 2024
Last Seen: December 2024

Mr Rogers has visited only once. He is not scared of humans but was not interested in taking food from them.


Ahab
Ahab

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Half of right leg missing
First Seen: March 2025
Last Seen: September 2025

Ahab is a very tough ringtail. In about February 2025, he had half of his right front leg torn off and he had to endure a cyclone while the injury was healing. He has never taken food from humans and keeps to himself but is easily recognisable from a distance.


Rudy
Rudy

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: April 2025 (but maybe January 2025)
Last Seen: September 2026?

Rudy is a very persistent ringtail. After visiting a number of possum boxes, he decided to set up home in Box 2. This was the first time since 2012 that a ringtail has slept in one of the possum boxes. After bringing in a whole lot of leaves to make it comfortable, the box was claimed by Blossom, the dominant brushtail. Not to be deterred, Rudy then set up home in Box 3, which Blossom had previously been using. Afterwards he would swap back and forth between the boxes depending on which one Blossom decided to use.


Rudy is not scared of humans, but is uninterested in visting or taking food from them.


Roxy
Roxy

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks: Long white tip on her tail with a noticable knink in it.
First Seen: August 2025
Last Seen: September 2025?

Roxy is probably Rudy's companion. Following Rudy's example, and possibly with his help, she set up home in Box 8 where she would sleep with her two babies.


Roxy is not scared of humans, but is uninterested in visting or taking food from them.



Honorary Possums

Scruffles
Scruffles

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks: Big chunk out of top of right ear
First Seen: August 2013 (but possibly earlier)
Last Seen: February 2014

Scruffles was a black rat, but has learnt that if he acted like a possum he could get treated like one.


Very smart and active and can be cheeky towards possums.


Rats have only short lives so he will no longer be alive.


Tikka
Tikka

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: March 2018
Last Seen: April 2018

Tikka was also a black rat. She managed to evade a python which had been lurking near the house.


Morse
Morse

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: March 2020
Last Seen: October 2020

Morse was another a black rat. She was very active and cheeky towards possums and would take food from hand from a human. Her name was chosen because she introduced herself by leaving messages - dots and dashes of poo - on the balcony. The message appeared to be "please feed me", because the poos stopped as soon as she was offered food.


Buffy
Buffy

Gender: Female
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: February 2022
Last Seen: March 2022

Buffy was first seen on the patio under the balcony, seeking out food dropped by the possums above. She never came close to the humans. One time she was seen carrying babies up onto the roof during a period of heaavy rain.


Elmo
Elmo

Gender: Male
Distinguishing marks:
First Seen: February 2022
Last Seen: July 2022

Elmo appeared around the same time as Buffy but was more bold and came onto the balcony. Initially he tried to get into the house but was trained to wait away from the door to take food. As at July 2022 he would accept food from hand in the possum feeding area.