Travel bloggers Anita Kisiala and Niko Hop filmed this adorable video while volunteering in Western Australia's Cape Arid National Park. The pair had the opportunity to assist researchers from Parks and Wildlife Australia as they carried out research on the western ground parrot – WA's rarest bird. They'd set a number of traps to survey the diversity and health of the park ecosystem – and this little honey possum found its way in.
"To be honest I never heard about honey possums before we came to Cape Arid," says Kisiala. "But once I knew they existed I wanted to see them. It's the only Australian marsupial that feeds only on nectar – and it might be the cutest animal I've ever seen."
Because the possum was in the trap for a night, the researchers made sure to coddle this adult male with some nectar to make up for his lost feeding time. A quick measurement later, and the little possum was on his way.
Honey possums are doing well in Australia, and are not considered threatened with extinction, but the animals' dependence on flowering plants for food makes them particularly susceptible to habitat loss from bush fires – a good reminder to everyone to stay fire safe this summer.
For more beautiful photos of Cape Arid, head over to Kisiala and Hop's blog, YouKeepUsTraveling.
Top header image: YouKeepUsTraveling/Screengrab from Vimeo