Chunia+Illuminata

The Common Ringtail Possum >
 * Chunia Illuminata **

Chunia Illuminata was a small marsupial, and considered to be the closest ancestor of all possums. It is assumed that they were living in the early mioscene, which is around 5-23 million years ago. The fossils are mostly found around small areas of South Australia, like Lake Palankarinna and Queensland, Riversleigh. Their name ‘Chunia’ comes from a China-styled glazed pottery from the Sung Dynasty, because their fine lined teeth is similar with Chinese ancient pottery. Although the Chunia Illuminata are not a direct ancestor of the Common Ringtail Possum, they are very closely related to each other. They also resemble each other from their diet habit to life style and appearance. They are a distinctive group of specialized seedeaters of Cainozoic Australian Possums. They are thought to be monotremes judging by their short faces and large, forwarding eyes. Also, they have a set of the most complex teeth of any marsupials. Chunia was considered to be the most primitive of the Ektopodontids.



Chunia Illuminata was considered to be an arboreal marsupial, which means animals that doesn’t live on ground level. Chunia are predicted to have lived in namely South Australia, Queensland and Victoria. They lived in woodlands of all kind, and rarely go down to ground level. Chunia Illuminata prefers to live in tropical and humid climate. The places that they tend to live in are generally warmer, with a Celsius of around 20 to 29. Australia’s woodland provides homes for many animals, including the Chunia Illuminata, Numbat, Wombat, Parrots and many more. The trees in woodlands are a lot more scattered than forests; Eucalyptus and Wattle trees are the most common ones found in the woodlands. Chunia Illuminata’s habitat location is greatly associated with their food source. It is most likely that they are granivores, meaning they feed on seeds. Although, they are assumed to be omnivores as well, but their main diet relies on seeds, leaf or nuts. They will occasionally prey on small insects and aquatic vertebrates, like small [|fishes] or crustaceans. Leading back to the area they live in, which are usually filled with trees and with their nest located nearby a stream or a river, which can provide a food source for them in the spring or summer. The water is also a great part of it’s survival, as they need water to hydrate and cool off in the summer.
 * Habitat **

It is assumed that their extinction is caused because the Chunia’s eyes are not efficient enough to block out sunlight by day, causing their eye to damage and affect their ability to look out for predators or food. This may have decreased their survival chances. Also, on the other hand, their size and speed may have been one of the reasons they went extinct, as they were all eaten or killed by predators like [|coyotes] because they are weaker than them.

The most noticeable trait passed from Chunia Illuminata to The Common Ringtail Possum is their ringtail, which are both covered in white fur for the last one third of their prehensile ringtail. Their tail helps them to balance on trees, hang on to roots and making easy escapes by swinging from tree to tree using their ringtail from predators. Their ringtail is covered in soft, thick fur, which kept the Chunia Illuminata nice and warm in the winter. Their ringtail is used, sometimes as a fifth limb. It also distinct them from other arboreal animals, so scientists nowadays can be more certain which animal it is and discover more from it’s living condition and habits.
 * Structural adaptation **
 * 1. Ringtail**

Chunia Illuminata are nocturnal animals, therefore they have forward facing, large eyes. Their rod-rich eyes help them see in the dark, and in other words, provide them with night visions. Having forward facing eyes, this gives them an advantage by providing them a wider range of sight and allowing them to have a better view of environment around them, so they can look out for food and hide from predators. This is a very important trait for the Chunia Illuminata, as it is impossible to survive as a nocturnal animal without their rod-rich eyes, and increases their chances of survival.
 * 2. Nocturnal Visions (rod-rich eyes)**

Their sharp claws are one of their most important adaptations, and their claws help them survive in many ways, like traveling, collecting food and defense against predators and preys. Because they are arboreal animals, they live most of their life on trees; their sharp claws help them hold on tightly and securely on to tree branches when they are moving from tree to tree, thus preventing them from falling. This adaptation also aids them to catch and trap their prey more easily, especially aquatic vertebrates, which can keep them from starvation. The environment they lived in probably pressured this trait; as they possibly faced difficulty by staying stable on trees, or the number of predators increasing. Without their claws, it is very likely they would die from starvation or eaten by predators, and finally led to extinction.
 * 3. Sharp Claws and Valuable Paws**

Chunia Illuminata is an arboreal animal. They live on trees, which gives them an advantage from all the predators on the ground level, they have a variety of food source from the trees and gives them a more convenient way to travel through the woodland in speed and silently, camouflaging them from their enemies. However, there are also some risks, including getting eaten or attacked on the trees by animals such as birds and Eagles. This adaptation may be formed because there are more predators on ground level, and it is more convenient to find food from a higher. This adaptation is important because it becomes one of the most important traits for future possums. For example, the Common Ringtail Possum that lives in 20th century. They rely heavily on their arboreal ability, as their habitats are all located in the trees of woodlands. It also gives them an advantage, as Australia is one of the countries that are more protective of their environment, therefore there is a large area of woodlands still existing.
 * Behavioral adaptations **
 * 1. Arboreal Behavior**


 * Physiological adaptations **

Chunia Illuminata’s digestion system enables them to consume both meat and vegetables. It is also assumed that it is very likely that they have a unique digestive system that can separate the poison from their food and safely consume the food. They might have adapted this system because there are a lot of foods in the woodlands that are poisonous or dirty. This trait is very important, as it has been passed on to the Common Ringtail Possum and this ability is crucial to their survival as they rely heavily on eucalyptus trees, but the eucalyptus tree contains phenols and tannins, but they are capable of detoxifying it in the animal’s caecum (a part of the gut).
 * 1. Efficient digestion**



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