Cuscus
Phalanger sp.
Where is it found?
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Tropical forests, scrubland and forests in Australasia.
Diet and foraging method
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Cuscus collect fruit from trees. Some fill their pouches with fruit and take it to their home to store and eat.
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Key adaptations
They have a long prehensile tail that helps when climbing trees. When the tail is not in use, they curl it up into a spiral. The tip of the tail is naked to help with gripping on to objects.
They have a thick woolly coat for warmth.
They have large eyes for improved night vision,. This is essential as they have a nocturnal lifestyle.
They have a thick woolly coat for warmth.
They have large eyes for improved night vision,. This is essential as they have a nocturnal lifestyle.
Social organisation and mating system
Solitary
Polygynous
Did you know that...?
Cuscus use urine as a scent marker. It is said to smell like coffee.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Ailurops ursinus Naemundung 2 North Sulawesi" by Sakurai Midori - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ailurops_ursinus_Naemundung_2_North_Sulawesi.jpg#/media/File:Ailurops_ursinus_Naemundung_2_North_Sulawesi.jpg
"Cuscus1" by Shannon Davis <dollbaby78@hotmail.com> - dollbaby78@hotmail.com. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuscus1.jpg#/media/File:Cuscus1.jpg
"Ground Cuscus cotswoldwildlifepark" by Drcwp1 - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_Cuscus_cotswoldwildlifepark.jpg#/media/File:Ground_Cuscus_cotswoldwildlifepark.jpg
"CuscusCelebensisWolf" by Joseph Wolf - Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1858 (web). Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CuscusCelebensisWolf.jpg#/media/File:CuscusCelebensisWolf.jpg
"Ailurops ursinus Naemundung 2 North Sulawesi" by Sakurai Midori - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ailurops_ursinus_Naemundung_2_North_Sulawesi.jpg#/media/File:Ailurops_ursinus_Naemundung_2_North_Sulawesi.jpg
"Cuscus1" by Shannon Davis <dollbaby78@hotmail.com> - dollbaby78@hotmail.com. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuscus1.jpg#/media/File:Cuscus1.jpg
"Ground Cuscus cotswoldwildlifepark" by Drcwp1 - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ground_Cuscus_cotswoldwildlifepark.jpg#/media/File:Ground_Cuscus_cotswoldwildlifepark.jpg
"CuscusCelebensisWolf" by Joseph Wolf - Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1858 (web). Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CuscusCelebensisWolf.jpg#/media/File:CuscusCelebensisWolf.jpg
