When an early explorer in Australia first saw certain little furry animals in the forests, they somehow reminded him of opossums in England, so he just called them "possums." But if he had watched them longer he would have realized they weren't opossums at all. Since then, different names have been given to them, some being known as lemurs, phalangers, colugos, etc. (A few of these were described in past articles.)
But one of these did keep the possum name and is now known as lead beater's possum. It is on unusually pretty little animal, an adult being about six inches long, plus a ten-inch tail. It has soft, gray-brown fur on most of its body, but white at the throat, stomach and lower part of its limbs. Deep, black-shaded eyes are alert over a pointed, bright-red nose, and large, furry ears crown its head. It has a long, gray-brown tail, bushy at the end, and sharp claws with soft cushions on the toes, enabling it to run safely over smooth bark without a sound.
It is a great tree climber and, like most of its kind, can make great leaps between trees with its four legs spread wide apart, to become a living kite, its long bushy tail acting as a rudder as it glides through the air, just as though flying.
It nests in holes in tree trunks where little ones are born. For several weeks they stay in their mother's pouch until ready to follow her and learn how to gather food, principally insects and the sweet gum of Acacia trees.
In parts of Australia there is a larger relative called the silver-gray bushtail possum. It is equally at home on the ground, where it walks with a swaggering style, or in trees, where it seems to take fearful chances in great glides—sometimes as much as 150 feet or a straight drop of 30 feet or more to the ground. Everything about them is on a bigger scale than the leadbeater's. Instead of pointing upright, their big ears stand out on each side of a rabbit-like head. Razor-sharp claws enable them to climb well and defend themselves very capably. Their calls are harsh, like a deep, barking cough.
The Bible tells us that the Lord God took pleasure in all His creation, so we can understand why He made so many different kinds of lemurs, phalangers and possums. We know, too, that He watches over each of them, for it is recorded in the Bible: "O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God!" Psa. 36:6,76Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. 7How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (Psalm 36:6‑7).
He is the only One in whom we can put our full trust, as another Psalm says: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psa. 118:88It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8). Have you put your trust in Him?