Nocturnal, arboreal marsupial with large pointed ears, a bushy tail and a woolly coat ranging from silver-grey to black or gold. Native to Australia, it dens in tree hollows and is one of the few native mammals that thrives in cities.
Photographic archive · 7 works
On expedition in Southwest Tasmania during the early stages of 2026, I spent a significant period of time working to codify the biofluoresence of the resident Brushtail Possum population. With a full moon available, it offered a rare opportunity to do this safely – allowing a proper capture of their full range of emission. The vibrant reds hidden amongst the blues are only visible from some angles, adding deeper curiosity to the find.
On expedition in Southwest Tasmania during the early stages of 2026, I spent a significant period of time working to codify the biofluoresence of the resident Brushtail Possum population. With a full moon available, it offered a rare opportunity to do this safely – allowing a proper capture of their full range of emission. Under this type of light, the intense pink of the nose bursts forth from the deep blues of their body.
While exploring the city parks around Adelaide during the 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition opening, a few of the more curious Brushtail Possum that live in the area came to visit. Being under the intense illumination of the nearby streetlights, their normally effective camouflage is rendered useless. Their biofluorescence explodes out from the dull browns and greys of the trees they inhabit.
On expedition in Southwest Tasmania during the early stages of 2026, I spent a significant period of time working to codify the biofluoresence of the resident Brushtail Possum population. With a full moon available, it offered a rare opportunity to do this safely – allowing a proper capture of their full range of emission. The vibrant reds hidden amongst the blues are only visible from some angles, adding deeper curiosity to the find.
While on expedition in Northern Tasmania in early 2026, I identified a very curious property in the Brushtail Possums of the area that I'd seen traces of over the years: biofluorescence that was different from all of the others science acknowledges – they glow under visible light. Where most terrestrial biofluorescence uses UV for excitation, this specimen is clearly glowing under blue light, displaying significant glow on the nose and ears not normally present. A curious find indeed!
