Ringtail and Greater Gliding Possums: Pseudocheiridae

Ringtail and greater gliding possums are herbivores, which means that they eat plants. Most of their diet is made up of leaves, especially eucalyptus (yoo-kah-LIP-tus) leaves. Some species also eat fruits and flowers. These animals have teeth that are specially suited to grinding up leaves. They also all have a large cecum (SEE-kum), which is a pouch in the digestive system. In order to get enough nutritional value from the leaves they eat—eucalyptus leaves, especially, have low nutritional value—the leaves must be broken down. In the cecum, these animals have special bacteria that break down the leaves, so that they can be used by the animal.