The Phalangeridae are a family of mostly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

marsupials Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, and Eastern

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

, including the cuscuses,

brushtail possum The brushtail possums are the members of the genus ''Trichosurus'' in the Phalangeridae, a family of marsupials. They are native to Australia (including Tasmania) and some small nearby islands. Unique among marsupials, they have shifted the hy ...

s, and their close relatives. Considered a type of possum, most species are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

, and they inhabit a wide range of forest habitats from alpine woodland to

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forest and tropical jungle. Many species have been introduced to various non-native habitats by humans for thousands of years.

Characteristics

Phalangerids are relatively large, compared with other

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban ...

. The smallest species, the

Sulawesi dwarf cuscus The Sulawesi dwarf cuscus (''Strigocuscus celebensis'') is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It inhabits tropical moist lowland forest and is nocturnal, foliv ...

, is cat-sized, averaging in length, while the largest, the

black-spotted cuscus The black-spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus rufoniger'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is among the largest members of the family, only being surpassed by the bear cuscus. It is a relatively colourful species found in fore ...

, is around long, and weighs . Besides the large size, other key features distinguishing phalangerids from other possums include the presence of bare skin on at least part of the tail, and low-crowned molar teeth. They have claws on the fore feet, but none on the hind feet, although these do have an opposable first toe to help grip onto branches. Additionally, in all but one species, both the first and second digits of the fore feet are opposable. Their fur is typically dense or woolly, and may be grey, black, or reddish-brown, often with spots or stripes. Most phalangerids are folivores, feeding primarily on leaves. Like some similar species, they have a large

cecum The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix, to which it is joined). The wo ...

to ferment this highly fibrous food and extract as much nutrition as possible. Their teeth, though, are not as highly adapted to this diet as other possums, and they also eat fruit, and even some invertebrates. The only exception to these general rules is the

ground cuscus The ground cuscus (''Phalanger gymnotis'') is a marsupial from the order Diprotodontia and belongs within the family Phalangeridae, a diverse family consisting of the other cuscus species and the brushtail possums (''Trichosurus'' spp.) and the ...

, which is

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...

, and is also less arboreal than other phalangerid species. The dental formula of phalangerids is:

Gestation Gestation is the period of development during the carrying of an embryo, and later fetus, inside viviparous animals (the embryo develops within the parent). It is typical for mammals, but also occurs for some non-mammals. Mammals during pr ...

in phalangerids lasts 16–17 days in those species so far studied. The females have a well-developed pouch, and typically raise only one or two young at a time, less than many other possums. The adults are typically solitary, defending territories marked by scent-gland spray, odiferous saliva, urine, or dung. Most possums conserve the functions of the epipubic bones. The exception is '' Trichosurus'', which remarkably among marsupials has shifted the hypaxial muscles from the epipubic to the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, employing a more

placental Placental mammals (infraclass Placentalia ) are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguishe ...

-like breathing, having lost the benefits of the epipubic in regards to lung ventilation. In general, these possums are more terrestrial than other members of this group, and resemble terrestrial

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

in some respects.

Classification

This classification is based on Ruedas & Morales 2005. The listing for extant species is based on The Third edition of Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (2005), except where th
Mammal Diversity Database
and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

agree on a change. The family Phalangeridae consists of six genera and 27 species: * Subfamily Ailuropinae ** Genus '' Ailurops'' *** Talaud bear cuscus ('' Ailurops melanotis'') ***

Sulawesi bear cuscus The Sulawesi bear cuscus, also known as the Sulawesi bear phalanger (''Ailurops ursinus''), is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It lives in tropical moist lo ...

('' Ailurops ursinus'') ** Genus '' Strigocuscus'' ***

(''

Strigocuscus celebensis The Sulawesi dwarf cuscus (''Strigocuscus celebensis'') is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It inhabits tropical moist lowland forest and is nocturnal, f ...

'') *** Banggai cuscus ('' Strigocuscus pelegensis'') * Subfamily Phalangerinae ** Tribe Phalangerini *** Genus '' Phalanger'' ****

Gebe cuscus The Gebe cuscus (''Phalanger alexandrae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the island of Gebe, North Maluku province, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Sou ...

('' Phalanger alexandrae'') ****

Mountain cuscus The mountain cuscus (''Phalanger carmelitae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), ...

('' Phalanger carmelitae'') ****

Ground cuscus The ground cuscus (''Phalanger gymnotis'') is a marsupial from the order Diprotodontia and belongs within the family Phalangeridae, a diverse family consisting of the other cuscus species and the brushtail possums (''Trichosurus'' spp.) and the ...

(''

Phalanger gymnotis The ground cuscus (''Phalanger gymnotis'') is a marsupial from the order Diprotodontia and belongs within the family Phalangeridae, a diverse family consisting of the other cuscus species and the brushtail possums (''Trichosurus'' spp.) and the ...

'') ****

Eastern common cuscus The eastern common cuscus (''Phalanger intercastellanus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae found in eastern Papua New Guinea. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with '' P. mimicus'', and before that also with '' P ...

('' Phalanger intercastellanus'') ****

Woodlark cuscus The Woodlark cuscus (''Phalanger lullulae'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Papua New Guinea, specifically on Madau and Woodlark Island, a part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It happens to be the ...

('' Phalanger lullulae'') **** Blue-eyed cuscus ('' Phalanger matabiru'') **** Telefomin cuscus ('' Phalanger matanim'') ****

Southern common cuscus The southern common cuscus (''Phalanger mimicus''), also known as Australian cuscus, gray phalanger, and ''to-ili'', is an arboreal marsupial endemic to Australia ( Cape York), southern New Guinea and possibly the Aru Islands. Until recently, it ...

('' Phalanger mimicus'') ****

Northern common cuscus The northern common cuscus (''Phalanger orientalis''), also known as the gray cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae native to northern New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands, but is now also found in the Bismarck Archipel ...

(''

Phalanger orientalis The northern common cuscus (''Phalanger orientalis''), also known as the gray cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae native to northern New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands, but is now also found in the Bismarck Archipel ...

'') ****

Ornate cuscus The ornate cuscus or Molluccan cuscus (''Phalanger ornatus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found on the North Maluku islands of Halmahera, Bacan and Morotai Morotai Island ( id ...

('' Phalanger ornatus'') ****

Rothschild's cuscus Rothschild's cuscus (''Phalanger rothschildi''), also called the Obi Island cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the islands of Obi, Bisa and Obilatu in the Obi Islands of Maluku province, Indonesia ...

('' Phalanger rothschildi'') ****

Silky cuscus The silky cuscus (''Phalanger sericeus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Names It is known as atwak, añ, sosus, or beŋ-tud in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.Pawley, ...

('' Phalanger sericeus'') ****

Stein's cuscus Stein's cuscus (''Phalanger vestitus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially th ...

('' Phalanger vestitus'') *** Genus '' Spilocuscus'' ****

Admiralty Island cuscus The Admiralty Island cuscus or Manus Island spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus kraemeri'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is the smallest member of the genus ''Spil ...

('' Spilocuscus kraemeri'') ****

Common spotted cuscus The common spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus maculatus''), also known as the white cuscus, is a cuscus, a marsupial that lives in the Cape York region of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby smaller islands. Names It is known as aklang or gabi in the ...

('' Spilocuscus maculatus'') ****

Waigeou cuscus The Waigeou cuscus or Waigeou spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus papuensis'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is endemic to the island of Waigeo in Indonesia, and consequently the spelling Waigeo cuscus is often used instead ...

('' Spilocuscus papuensis'') ****

Black-spotted cuscus The black-spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus rufoniger'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. It is among the largest members of the family, only being surpassed by the bear cuscus. It is a relatively colourful species found in fore ...

('' Spilocuscus rufoniger'') ****

Blue-eyed spotted cuscus The blue-eyed spotted cuscus or Biak spotted cuscus (''Spilocuscus wilsoni'') is a species of critically endangered marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. Taxonomy The blue-eyed spotted cuscus is one of five species of spotted cuscus in the g ...

('' Spilocuscus wilsoni'') ** Tribe Trichosurini *** Genus '' Trichosurus'' ****

Northern brushtail possum The northern brushtail possum (''Trichosurus arnhemensis'') is a nocturnal marsupial inhabiting northern Australia. The northern brushtail possum is sometimes considered a species, however more often than not is considered a subspecies of the ...

('' Trichosurus arnhemensis'') ****

Short-eared possum The short-eared possum (''Trichosurus caninus'') is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Australia. Found north of Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city i ...

('' Trichosurus caninus'') ****

Mountain brushtail possum The mountain brushtail possum, or southern bobuck (''Trichosurus cunninghami''), is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae native to southeastern Australia. It was not described as a separate species until 2002. Taxono ...

('' Trichosurus cunninghami'') ****

Coppery brushtail possum The coppery brushtail possum (''Trichosurus johnstonii'') is a species of marsupial possum in the family Phalangeridae. Coppery brushtails are found within the Atherton Tablelands area of Queensland, in northeastern Australia. These mammals inha ...

('' Trichosurus johnstonii'') ****

Common brushtail possum The common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula'', from the Greek for "furry tailed" and the Latin for "little fox", previously in the genus ''Phalangista'') is a nocturnal, semiarboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Aus ...

('' Trichosurus vulpecula'') *** Genus ''

Wyulda ''Wyulda'' is a genus of phalanger. The scaly-tailed possum is the only extant species, but a single extinct species ('' Wyulda asherjoeli'') from the Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends fr ...

'' **** Scaly-tailed possum ('' Wyulda squamicaudata'')

Vernacular names

Blust (1982, 1993, 2002, 2009)Blust, Robert. 2009. The position of the languages of eastern Indonesia: A Reply to Donohue and Grimes. Oceanic Linguistics 48:36–77. reconstructs the

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data * ...

''*kandoRa'' cuscus for Proto- Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (i.e., the reconstructed

most recent common ancestor In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...

of the

Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages The Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (CEMP) languages form a proposed branch of the Malayo-Polynesian languages consisting of over 700 languages (Blust 1993). Distribution The Central Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken in the Lesser Sun ...

), but the validity of this reconstruction is doubted by Schapper (2011). Schapper (2011) shows that reconstructed forms for cuscus are in fact quite diverse, and cannot be reconstructed to Proto- Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian. Other names for cuscus are: *Proto-

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, ...

: ''*madar'' *Proto- Southeast Maluku: ''*mander'' *Proto- Central Maluku: ''*mansər'' * Proto-Oceanic: ''*kadroRa''; a semantic shift occurred from cuscus to bandicoot (

Peramelidae The marsupial family Peramelidae contains all of the extant bandicoots. They are found throughout Australia and New Guinea, with at least some species living in every available habitat, from rainforest to desert. Four fossil peramelids are descri ...

) from Proto-Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian to Proto-Oceanic for the form ''*mans(a,ə)r''. *Proto- South Halmahera: ''*do'' *Proto- Aru: ''*wagal'' * North Bomberai languages: ** Onin: ''yawat'' ** Sekar: ''kawat'' ** Arguni: ''rawake'' *Proto-

North Halmahera North Halmahera Regency ( id, Kabupaten Halmahera Utara) is a regency (on Halmahera Island) of North Maluku Province, Indonesia. It was declared a Regency on 31 May 2003. The capital town of the regency lies at the port of Tobelo. The Regency, whi ...

(non-Austronesian): ''*kusoro'' Other local names for the cuscus are: * Central Maluku: Hila ''makel'', Manipa ''marele'', Wakasihu ''marilu'', Hitu ''makel'', Kailolo ''makele'', Katu ''makello'', Larike ''máridu'', Nuaulu ''mara(ne)'' *

: Kemak ''mada'', Tetun ''meda'', Mambae ''mat'',

Galoli The Galoli, or Galolen, are a people of East Timor with a population of about 50,000, primarily along the northern coast of the district of Manatuto. To the west lies the Mambai people. There is an old colony on the southern coast of Wetar islan ...

''madar'', Waima'a ''meda'',

Uab Meto Uab Meto or Dawan is an Austronesian language spoken by Atoni people of West Timor. The language has a variant spoken in the East Timorese exclave of Oecussi-Ambeno, called Baikenu. Baikenu uses words derived from Portuguese, for example, ''o ...

''urem'',

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

''mada'', Wetar ''maʧa'' * Bird's Head Peninsula: Irarutu ''jemoga'', Meoswar ''musiew'', Ansus ''amu'', Warembori ''maje''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q23230 Possums Mammal families Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas