Researchers in Australia have shared a sneak peek into the fascinating life – and mouths – of striped possums.
In a short video captured by a hidden camera inside a nesting box in the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, a striped possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) does an adorable yawn and extends its astonishingly long tongue out of its mouth.
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There’s a good reason that these marsupials have such extensive tongues: to help them find food.
Although these animals also eat nectar, the tongue is designed to help them extract insects hidden in nooks and crannies.
“Striped possums have a remarkable toolkit for getting at wood-boring beetle larvae hidden in tree bark,” explains Johan Larson, manager of James Cook University’s Daintree Rainforest Observatory.
“That long tongue works together with specialised teeth and an unusually elongated fourth finger to prize them out.”
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Video and image credit: JCU Daintree Rainforest Observatory
