Fun facts about the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus) include:
Also known as ‘Noolbenger’ in the Noongar language, they are native to southwest Western Australia and are a unique marsupial that isn’t actually a possum and doesn’t eat honey. It survives exclusively on nectar and pollen, relying on a specially adapted, brush-tipped tongue to forage from banksias, eucalyptus, and hakeas.
These remarkable little survivors hold several incredible world records:
- World’s Smallest Newborn: Honey possum joeys weigh just 0.003 to 0.005 grams at birth—about the size of a single grain of rice.
- Tiny Adults: Fully grown, they weigh roughly 7 to 10 grams, or the equivalent of just two teaspoons of sugar. Despite this, their prehensile tail is longer than their combined head and body.
- Mammalian Extremes: Male honey possums have the largest testes (relative to body weight) and the longest sperm of any mammal.
- No Fly Zone: They are the only completely nectar-eating (nectarivorous) mammal that cannot fly.
- Insatiable Appetite: They consume nearly their entire body weight in nectar and pollen every day.
- Extreme Survivors: Because they can’t fly to escape food shortages, they endure cold weather by entering torpor, a state of reduced metabolism and lowered body temperature that helps conserve energy.
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