Phalanger carmelitae

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc). Common.

Sumber: Order Diprotodontia

Distribution: Interior New Guinea.

Sumber: Order Diprotodontia

Habitat. Mid-montane to upper montane primary forests, with little disturbance, at elevations of 1350 - 3800 m throughout the Central Range and Huon Peninsula of New Guinea. The Mountain Cuscus occurs in sympatry with many congeners, such the Silky Cuscus, Stein’s Cuscus (P. vestitus), the Ground Cuscus (P. gymnotis), and the Telefomin Cuscus (P. matanim), especially in the Star Mountains region.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Male Mountain Cuscuses move an average of 59 m / h while traversing a home range of c. 4 ha; females travel an average of 37 m / h in home ranges averaging 2 - 8 ha. Overlap of adjacent home rangesis small, with male home ranges overlapping by an average of only 0 - 22 % and females by only 0 - 05 %.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mountain Cuscus is hunted by local people for food throughout much of its distribution, and significant habitat loss is taking place in parts of its distribution, mostly by deforestation of land for subsistence agriculture. Nevertheless, where it is not hunted, it is abundant in suitable habitat.

Sumber: Phalangeridae

Descriptive notes. Head-body 37 - 43 cm, tail 31 - 365 cm; weight 1.7 - 2.6 kg. The Mountain Cuscus has thick, dark (chocolate-brown to blackish, occasionally dark grayish-brown), woolly fur covering most of its body, with a white belly. Tail is black, with a white distal tip, and coarsely tuberculated. Skull is medium-sized (condylobasal length 70 - 88 mm) with a relatively short rostrum, large posterior upper premolar (secator) and molars, second upper premolar always present, and three unicuspids on each side of lower jaw. The Mountain Cuscus is most easily confused with the Silky Cuscus (P. sericeus), in which tail is not tuberculated, white tail tip is shorter or absent, second upper premolar is lacking, and number of unicuspids on each side of lowerjaw is usually one or two.

Sumber: Phalangeridae