With voting now open for the Mammal of the Year Award, the enticing smile of WA’s Quokka is clearly working its magic, although fellow poster star the sugar glider is swooping up plenty of votes. The amazing tree kangaroo is ready to pounce while the potoroo is crying out for more love. All this and there are more categories yet to be unleashed in the mammo v mammo showdown.
Thousands of people are getting involved in the voting battle, with COSMOS magazine profiling the stunning range of mammals that live here and only here. It is a celebration of that diversity and people from not just Australia, but across the world, are showing their true love of our precious creatures. Of course, this couldn’t come at a more relevant time with the release of the ‘State of the Environment’ report showing that our mammals really need that love right now, extending all the way to laws that will protect and save them for future generations.
So to the early results as the fur flies in the favourite election of the year:
First up, the macropods. Bounding right out in front on its hairy little paws with almost a quarter of the votes so far is that toothy WA icon the quokka. The charming and dapper Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo’s currently holding onto second place, but a scrum of wallabies aren’t too far behind. Seems like rarity’s no protection from anonymity, with the Woylie and Gilbert’s potoroo lagging behind, along with Tassie’s favourite redneck.
And sadly, unless the Antilopine Wallaroo can find some support, this muscular northerner looks set for the wooden spoon.
Click here to vote for macropods
In the possums it’s a battle of the micro-s at the moment, with the Instagram pinup sugar glider flying into voters’ hearts, with the mountain pygmy possum close on its fluffy tail. There’s a fair amount of daylight to the trio chasing behind: Australia’s favourite Ewok impersonator, the Southern Greater Glider; enigmatic southerner Leadbeater’s possum; and the garden-partier ringtail. Sadly our less-well known species are lagging behind, with each of them delightful – our khaki fluffball green ringtail; the more-interesting-than-the-name-suggests scaly-tailed, sartorial Torres-striped possum the handsome tiny gliders and office favourite Honey possum; the hummingbird of the mammal world.
Click here to vote for possums
Next voting update Friday. Don’t forget to cast your vote!
Originally published by Cosmos as Macropods vs Possums: early leaders take shape
Gail MacCallum
Gail MacCallum is the Managing Editor of Cosmos Magazine.
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