Biology:Mountain cuscus
| Mountain cuscus[1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Phalangeridae |
| Genus: | Phalanger |
| Species: | P. carmelitae
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| Binomial name | |
| Phalanger carmelitae Thomas, 1898
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| Mountain cuscus range | |
The mountain cuscus (Phalanger carmelitae) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.[2]
Taxonomy
The mountain cuscus belongs to the family Phalangeridae and the genus Phalanger. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1898. The species includes two recognized subspecies: the nominate P. c. carmelitae Thomas, 1898, and P. c. coccygis Thomas, 1922.[3]
Description
The mountain cuscus has a head-body length of 37–43 cm, a tail length of 31–36.5 cm, and weighs 1.7–2.6 kg. Its thick, woolly fur is dark, ranging from chocolate-brown to blackish and occasionally dark grayish-brown, on the back, with a white belly. The tail is black with a white distal tip and is coarsely tuberculated. The skull is medium-sized, with a condylobasal length of 70–88 mm, a relatively short rostrum, a large posterior upper premolar and molars, the second upper premolar always present, and three unicuspids on each side of the lower jaw.[4]
The mountain cuscus is most easily confused with the silky cuscus (P. sericeus), which differs in having a smooth tail without tuberculation, a shorter or absent white tail tip, the second upper premolar absent, and usually only one or two unicuspids on each side of the lower jaw.[4]
Behavior
The mountain cuscus is nocturnal and arboreal, resting during the day in tree hollows and in tangles of epiphytes and Pandanus fronds.[5] At night it spends approximately 40% of its time feeding, around 25% resting, and the remainder traveling. Males have been recorded using 11–13 dens per year, spaced an average of 115 m apart, while females use 12–19 dens per year spaced an average of 124 m apart.[4]
Male mountain cuscuses move at an average speed of 59 m/h across a home range of approximately 4 ha, while females travel at an average of 37 m/h across home ranges of 2–8 ha. Adjacent home ranges overlap only slightly, with male home ranges overlapping by an average of 0–22% and female home ranges by only 0–5%.[4] The population trend is considered stable.[2]
References
- ↑ Groves, C.P. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M.. eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494. http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Leary, T.; Singadan, R.; Menzies, J.; Helgen, K.; Wright, D.; Allison, A.; Salas, L.; Dickman, C. (2016). "Phalanger carmelitae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16853A21950989.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/16853/21950989. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ↑ "Phalanger carmelitae Thomas, 1898". Species. GBIF. http://www.gbif.org/species/2440278.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Phalanger carmelitae Thomas 1898 - Plazi TreatmentBank" (in en). https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/xhtml/D344591F533107022306FD3F1513F97D.
- ↑ Detectives, Palm Oil (2025-06-28). "Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae" (in en). https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/06/29/mountain-cuscus-phalanger-carmelitae/.
Template:Diprotodontia Wikidata ☰ Q209713 entry
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