Ailurops ursinus

DISTRIBUTION: Sulawesi, Peleng Isl, Talaud Isis, Togian Isl, Muna Isl, Butung Isl, and Lembeh Isl (Indonesia).

Sumber: Order Diprotodontia

Habitat. Undisturbed lowland moist forests from sea level to elevations of ¢. 1000 m. The Common Bear Cuscus does not readily use disturbed habitats, and thus it is not usually found in gardens or plantations.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Movements, Home range and Social organization. One study of the Common Bear Cuscus estimated density at 1 pair / 4 ha. It has been reported to be most abundant at c ¢. 400 m in elevation, being much less common at sea level and above 600 m in elevation. Limited observations also suggest that Common Bear Cuscuses can often be found in pairs.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Common Bear Cuscus is threatened by habitat loss from clearing of forest for small-scale agriculture and large-scale logging. It is also heavily hunted by local people for food and collected for the pet trade. Although it may remain common in suitable habitat when not actively hunted, it has probably declined considerably in most areas. From 1979 to 1994, there was an estimated 95 % population decline of the Common Bear Cuscus in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in north-eastern Sulawesi due to hunting, and this decline likely also reflected trends elsewhere in Sulawesi. This decline is accelerating due to hunting and the pet trade.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Descriptive notes. Head — body 47 - 57 cm, tail 52 - 58 cm; weight 5 - 8 kg. The Common Bear Cuscusis large with long limbs and blackish fur, usually with yellow tips. Muzzle is stout and thinly furred. It is larger and less distinctly yellow in overall pelage color than the Talaud Bear Cuscus (A. melanotis), and it is smaller and less distinctly blackish in overall pelage color than in the Mountain Bear Cuscus (A. furvus). Skull and molars of the Common Bear Cuscus are more robust than in the Talaud Bear Cuscus butless so than in the Mountain Bear Cuscus. There are two lower unicuspids in the diastema between incisor and large premolar (one in the Talaud Bear Cuscus, and one or two in the Mountain Bear Cuscus).

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Conservation: IUCN – Date Deficient. Common.

Sumber: Order Diprotodontia