A little pygmy possum was found alive on Kangaroo Island, Australia following destructive wildfires which led many to fear the species had been wiped out, The Independent reported.
Australia’s Kangaroo Island faced devastating fires after lightning struck a park January, according to The Independent. The fires took the lives of two people and caused extreme damage to the surrounding conservation sites, per The Independent.
While conducting a forest survey to determine which species survived the fire, Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife, Australian conservation group, discovered a little pygmy possum, The Independent reported.
The status of the little pygmy possum (cercartetus lepidus) was unknown pre 2020 bushfires on #kangarooisland. With most of its habitat severely burnt we are happy to have detected the species for the first time since the fires in the largest unburnt patch #BushfireRecoveryAU pic.twitter.com/tSRjPunDZ8
— Pat Hodgens (@terrainecology) December 4, 2020
Finding a little pygmy possum, the world’s smallest possum, is a rare occurrence on Kangaroo Island. Only 113 sightings have been recorded on the island, according to a fauna ecologist, Pat Hodgens, per The Independent.
The possum weighed only 7 grams, according to The Independent. (RELATED: Massive Spider Eats Possum In Australia)
Hodgens said the possums are “certainly not very common and, obviously, the summer bushfires burnt through much of that habitat that species had, but we were certainly hopeful that we would find them,” according to The Independent.
Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife found over 20 other species alive as well, including a southern brown bandicoot and tammar wallaby, per The Independent.