The NSW Government say its threatened species team has discovered a variety of possum thought to be extinct in the state.
The government say records show the Leadbeater’s Possum had only been detected alive in Victoria until the recent discovery in the Kosciuszko National Park.
Previously, bones of the species believed to be up to 200 years old had been found in caves near the recent detection site.
The possum is the mammal emblem of Victoria and is listed as a critically endangered species under Commonwealth and Victorian law.
Threatened species officers from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water were reportedly reviewing almost a million images from ground-based wildlife cameras set up to survey for the critically endangered smoky mouse at Yarrangobilly when they made the discovery
The scientists saw a Leadbeater’s Possum in seven photos taken over a 10-second period.
Leadbeater’s Possums weigh approximately 125g and live mostly in wet eucalypt forests in tree hollows as breeding pairs and family groups.
Scientists say the possum seen in the photos must therefore belong to a previously unknown population.
The identification was confirmed by Healesville Sanctuary and the Australian National University and images from past surveys across Kosciuszko National Park are being reviewed for any further evidence of the species.
The government says cameras are to be deployed across mountain forests in the park, using methods developed in Victoria, to learn more about the species and inform a conservation program.
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