OED2FEC Lesson Planning Template

Topic Area: Fauna

Specific Focus: Mountain Pygmy-Possum
Aims: To teach about the Mountain Pygmy-Possum and its habits and habitat
Leaders: Sindri

Time

Phase
1

Ideal Location: Somewhere that would make a suitable habitat for the Mountain Pygmy-Possum such as a boulder stream or a
rock tor, particularly one at high altitude.
Specific
Key Teaching points/content
Additional points
Student Group
Equipment
Activity
organization
required & Activity
description/
Extensions.
Objective
Introduction (2 minutes)

Intro to the
animal

The mountain pygmy-possum is

a small mouse-like marsupial,
about 11cm long with a 14cm
long tail. They are distinguished
from other possums by the tail,
which is furry and thickened for
1cm at the base.
It is critically endangered due to
habitat destruction,
fragmentation, climate change
and predation by foxes and cats.
There are only 2000 individuals
left in the wild. In the Kosciuszko
area it is evenly distributed with
no isolated populations.

Their diet
consists mainly
of the Bogong
Moth.

They are one of

only two
mammals that
are native to the
Australian Alpine
Area. They have
been found all
the way to the
top of mount

Listening

Kosciuszko
Phase
2

Body
Seeing how .They hibernate for up to seven months in
the animal
the winter. They come out of hibernation
lives and
from time to time to feed, as the Bogong
survives in
moth, their main diet, is decreasing in
winter
population. They also hoard seeds in and
around their nest to survive the winter.

In areas such as boulder streams, snow

would provide good insulation from the
elements to anyone inside.

Phase
3

They live in rocky

areas, such as
block-streams and
rock tors. The rocky
habitat is ideal for
avoiding predators.
No nests have yet
been discovered in
the wild

Looking at the boulder-stream

or rock tor and seeing how a
Mountain Pygmy-Possum
might possibly live there.

If we manage to spot an
individual that would be
fantastic, but is incredibly
farfetched right now.

Conclusion Revision of key themes

Showing just
how hard this
animal has it

The population is still in decline, there is Nothing seems to be

an insurance population in captivity in
going this species
case anything happens to the wild
way, its food source
population.
is declining, the
habitat is
disappearing and
they have new
predators