Cholecalciferol Toxicity and Its Enhancement by Calcium Carbonate in the Common Brushtail Possum.

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 579 ◽  
Author(s):  
SE Jolly ◽  
RJ Henderson ◽  
C Frampton ◽  
CT Eason
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Toxic Material ◽  
Introduced Pest ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Brushtail Possum ◽  
The Cost

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), an introduced pest in New Zealand, is susceptible to cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), which is marketed as a rodenticide in many countries. To evaluate cholecalciferol for possum control we offered 242 caged adult possums cereal pellets containing cholecalciferol on its own or with calcium carbonate. Mortality was recorded for two weeks after presentation. For cholecalciferol on its own the LD50 was 16.8 mg kg-1 (95% confidence interval 11.6-21.9 mg kg-1), but the addition of calcium carbonate reduced this to 9.8 mg kg-1 (95% confidence interval 7.0-12.7 mg kg-1). When the sexes were analysed separately, the reduction of the LDS0 by the addition of calcium carbonate was significant only in females. The addition of calcium carbonate appeared to result in a more predictable outcome as shown by the reduced confidence intervals. For possum control, adding calcium carbonate to cholecalciferol bait would improve the bait's efficacy, decrease the amount of toxic material needed, and reduce the cost of bait production.

Possums: The Brushtails, Ringtails and Greater Glider. Anne Kerle. A Review by Joanne L Isaac.

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
JL Isaac
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Reproductive Physiology ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Introduced Pest ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Brushtail Possum ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence

DESPITE their almost ubiquitous presence across Australia, contemporary research on the biology, ecology and conservation status of the so-called 'common' possums is scant and inadequate. The majority of possum studies have been a result of the huge research effort in New Zealand to control and eradicate the common brushtail possum, a notorious introduced pest, and have concentrated primarily upon reproductive physiology. The conspicuous lack of ecological data on the larger possums across their native Australian range is particularly disturbing since evidence suggests that a number of these species are disappearing from large tracts of Australia. However, Possums: the brushtails, ringtails and greater glider, part of the Australian Natural History Series, provides a long overdue summary of up-to-date research on these familiar and intriguing marsupials.

Variability in the seasonality of breeding by the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula: its possible causes and management implications

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Cowan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Plant Secondary Compounds ◽  
Food Quantity ◽  
Introduced Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Brushtail Possum

Across its native range in Australia and its introduced range in New Zealand the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula, demonstrates significant flexibility in reproduction from breeding once a year in autumn, breeding in both autumn and spring, or breeding year round. Understanding variation in the seasonality of breeding has relevance to the management of possum populations for both management as a pest and their conservation. The success of possums as a colonising species in New Zealand has been attributed in part to their flexible breeding behaviour. Review of available evidence suggests that photoperiod and food quantity/quality influence the variation in seasonality of breeding and their effects are modulated by interactions with factors such as density, body weight and, possibly, genetics and plant secondary compounds. Future research is suggested to tease apart the relative contributions of these various factors to the observed variation.

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