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A Strange Bed, Fellow: Possum asleep in a rain-head
Brushtail possums are common enough here in Australia, having adapted very successfully to urban life.
Less common are the much smaller ringtail possums.
A week ago I was cleaning cobwebs off my roof guttering, and noticed what looked like a hairy caterpillar on the outside of one of the rain-heads. On nudging it with a broom the caterpillar disappeared and was replaced by a head with two large, startled eyes. The caterpillar was the tail of a possum! The ringtail was nesting in the rain-head, having already packed the down-pipe with grass and litter. After being disturbed it left and ran away across the roof.
Today I was showing my neighbour where it had been. Surprise surprise; it was back.
How it finds it a comfortable place to sleep is a mystery, especially when it rains.
Here is the rainhead. The rainhead is about 300mm (12 in.) in diameter.
And here is a close-up.
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