Give couscous
| Give couscous | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phalanger alexandrae | ||||||||||||
| Flannery & Boeadi , 1995 |
The Gebe couscous ( Phalanger alexandrae ) is a marsupial from the family of climbing baggers (Phalangeridae) that is endemic in eastern Indonesia on the northern Moluccan island of Gebe . Maybe the species is also found on other islands between Halmahera and Waigeo ago. A photo of a cuscus very similar to the Gebe cuscus was taken on Uranie, an island east of Gebe and north of Waigeo.
features
The Gebe-Kuskus reaches a head body length of approx. 45 cm, has a approx. 36 cm long grasping tail and reaches a weight of 2.2 kg. The back, face and limbs are gray, the top of the head and shoulders are reddish-orange. A dark median is on the top of the head and less pronounced between the shoulders on the front back. The skull of the Gebe cuscus is similar to that of the Moluccan cuscus ( Phalanger ornatus ) and, like this, shows a conspicuous diastema between the incisors and the canine. The Gebe cuscus differs from the Moluccan cuscus and the obi cuscus ( Phalanger rothschildi ) in its size, the proportionally smaller teeth and especially from the obi cuscus in its color. The Obi-Kuskus lacks the shoulder color and the dark stripe on the back extends over its entire length.
Habitat and way of life
The Gebe-Kuskus occurs in secondary forests and on the edge of primary forests from sea level up to heights of 300 meters. The vegetation on most of Gebe is similar to the Mediterranean maquis and high forests are only found on limestone soils and along the watercourses. The diet and behavior of the Gebe cuscus has not yet been researched. Like other species of cuscus, it will feed primarily on fruits and leaves.
Systematics
The Gebe cuscus was first scientifically described in 1995 by the Australian zoologist Tim Flannery and his Indonesian colleague Bapak Boeadi. Together with the Moluccan cuscus ( Phalanger ornatus ) and the obi cuscus ( Phalanger rothschildi ), the Gebe cuscus forms a super-species , the Phalanger ornatus complex. Further studies will have to show whether a position of the Gebe cuscus as an independent species or whether it should better be listed as a subspecies of the Moluccan cuscus.
Danger
The IUCN estimates the stock of the giver couscous as endangered ( Endangered on). The reason is the very small distribution area with an area of around 150 km² and the risk from hunting, deforestation and mining.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Kristofer Helgen & Stephen Jackson: Family Phalangeridae (Cuscuses, Brush-tailed Possums and Scaly-tailed Possum). In: Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 , p. 489.
- ↑ Phalanger alexandrae in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016. Posted by: Leary, T., Singadan, R. Menzies, J., slipway, K., Wright, D., Allison, A. Flannery, T. , Salas, L. & Dickman, C, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2018.