Morphological Variation in the Brain of the Marsupial Brush-Tailed Possum, Trichosurus vulpecula; pp. 415–429

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Abstract
The brush-tailed possum, T. vulpecula displays an unusual amount of phenotypic variation within its CNS. These variations are expressed in terms of gross brain morphology, as evidenced by the occurrence of highly lissencephalic and gyrencephalic neocortices in apparently normal adult animals; by displacement and asymmetry of certain internal structures, notably within the ventral thalamic nuclei; and by the inconstant occurrence of at least 1 cell group within the thalamus. These variations are described and discussed with reference to possible functional, ontogenetic and phylogenetic significance.