A RESEARCH team from the University of Western Australia (UWA) has found a western pygmy possum in Albany's Torndirrup National Park for the first time.
The extremely cute animal feeds on nectar, pollen, insects and other small animals.
They tend to reside in woodlands of flowering euclapyts and banksias.
Professor Stephen Hopper of UWA said the research team were studying the pollination of native plants by mammals.
PhD student David Tunbridge and honours student Jessica Masson were the two who stumbled upon the little guy.
Professor Hopper said the pygmy possum turned up unexpectedly in bullich woodland between karri forest and peppermint woodland.
"A few banksia trees were in flower, and the researchers found some banksia pollen on the animal after it had been swabbed for pollen," he said.
"Jessica, David and Peter were delighted to make the discovery, and they quickly conveyed the news to Department of Parks and Wildlife staff."
Sarah Comer, Parks and Wildlife's regional ecologist, confirmed the report was a first for Torndirrup National Park.
"Despite the significant efforts of local naturalists like Vic Smith, the pygmy possum has eluded both early explorers and scientists who have recorded and studied the native fauna of the park for over 200 years," Ms Comer said.
"While the recent discovery is within the known range of the species it is exciting to know that young researchers can still make exiting contributions to the documentation of natural values in the public conservation reserve system."
Professor Hopper said the discovery opened up a new line of research for Torndirrup and how honey possums and western pygmy possums lived close to each other.
"Do they eat the same plant food? Do they interact aggressively or share resources when they meet?" he asked.
A UWA honours student is likely to investigate that further.
