Rare Pygmy Possum Rediscovered in the Aftermath of Australia’s Bushfire Crisis.

In 2020, despite being a terrible year, we were surprised by some good news, especially about cute animals that people thought were gone forever. For example, after 50 years of being hidden, the Somali elephant shrew was found again in Africa. Also, scientists discovered that the greater glider is not just one species but three different ones. This is exciting because people thought it was only one type for 228 years!

A group in Australia called Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife found a small animal called a pygmy possum that people haven’t seen since the bushfires in 2019-2020. This is a discovery that has been announced recently.

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For almost a year, people thought that some fragile creatures were gone forever because their homes were destroyed by bushfires that burned nearly half of Kangaroo Island. Luckily, that’s not true. These animals were not wiped out after all.

Before the 2020 bushfires on Kangaroo Island, it was unclear if the little pygmy possum (Cercartetus lepidus) was still around. But after most of their living area was severely burned, a fauna ecologist named Pat Hodgens recently found this species for the first time since the fires. This is excellent news for the little pygmy possum’s status, as it shows that some unburnt areas are helping them survive.

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These cute pygmy possums are tiny and not seen often, making them hard to find. There have only been 113 official sightings of these possums on Kangaroo Island, so they are uncommon. Sadly, their habitat was also damaged in bushfires. Despite this, Pat Hodgens said to ABC they were still hopeful of finding them.

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It was discovered that a specific animal still exists while researchers were looking for surviving species after the terrible bushfires. Over 20 different kinds of animals were found again in these investigations, such as the tammar wallaby and southern brown bandicoot.

#6 On the island, over 20 species have been found again, including the southern brown bandicoot. This happened during investigations.

#7 A Bibron’s toadlet

Pat Hodgens said to ABC that they would do everything possible to safeguard them so that they remain present during this significant time. It is essential because it is a final sanctuary for several species dependent on ancient, long, unburned vegetation.