A little pygmy possum has been found on Kangaroo Island for the first time since its habitat was mostly destroyed in bushfires that burnt almost half the island.
Fauna ecologist Pat Hodgens said the discovery on the west of the South Australian island was incredibly exciting.
“There’s only really been 113 formal records of the species [ever on Kangaroo Island],” he said.
“So certainly not very common and, obviously, the summer bushfires burnt through much of that habitat that species had, but we were certainly hopeful that we would find them.”
According to Mr Hodgens, the tiny pygmy possum was hard to find and study, due to their size.
The little pygmy possum, or Cercartetus lepidus, weighs a mere 7 grams.
Considered to be the world’s smallest possum, they are mainly found in Tasmania, Kangaroo Island and sometimes on mainland South Australia and Victoria.
Conservation group Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife found the tiny creature earlier this week as part of a larger recovery effort in the wake of the summer bushfires.
This article originally appeared on Over60.