Kimberley brush-tailed phascogale  |  

The brush-tailed phascogale is uniformly grizzled grey above, and cream to white below. Its ears are large and bare. It has a conspicuous black ‘bottle-brush’ on the distal two-thirds of the tail, on which the hairs grow to 55 millimetres long. The Kimberley subspecies (P. t. kimberleyensis) differs from the eastern subspecies (P. t. tapoatafa) externally with shorter, crisper and generally paler fur above, more extensive cream fur below, a relatively shorter tail, a more boldly patterned face with contrasting cream muzzle and cheek, and probable lower number of teats. The south-western subspecies (P. t. wambenger) also differs from the Kimberley subspecies externally, with lusher fur and generally darker colouration above, grey-based fur below, a much narrower zone of contrasting pale fur on the inside of the fore- and hind-limbs, a preauricular patch rarely developed, a relatively longer tail with more extensive furring of the base and longer ‘brush,’ much larger ears, and an inner metatarsal pad
smoothly united with first interdigital pad.