Big bear cuscus
| Big bear cuscus | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ailurops furvus | ||||||||||||
| Miller & Hollister , 1922 |
The large bear cuscus ( Ailurops furvus ) is a marsupial in the climbing family that occurs in the mountainous region of central and southwestern Sulawesi . It was originally considered a subspecies of the real bear cuscus ( Ailurops ursinus ). In the marsupial volume of the Handbook of the Mammals of the World , a standard work of mammalogy , published in 2015 , it is listed as an independent species.
features
The animals are similar to the actual bear cuscus but are larger and more robust overall. The back fur is longer, blacker and less yellowish. The face and chest may shimmer orange. The ears are bent more from the head fur. Large bear cusus reach a head-trunk length of about 59 to 65 cm, the tail is 56 to 62 cm long and the animals can reach a weight of about 10 kg. The skull of the Great Bear Cusus is larger than that of the other two species of Bear Cusus, the snout is wider, and the teeth are larger.
Habitat and way of life
The great bear cuscus occurs in mountain forests at heights of 800 to 2000 meters above sea level. In the same area of distribution, but in lower regions, the bear cuscus is also found. It is not yet known whether the distribution areas of both species overlap in a certain altitude range. Little is known about the way of life of the Great Bear Cusus. Females only get a single young animal at a time.
status
The large bear cuscus is threatened by deforestation as the basis for new agricultural areas. In addition, it is hunted for its meat or targeted as a pet.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d Kristofer Helgen & Stephen Jackson: Family Phalangeridae (Cuscuses, Brush-tailed Possums and Scaly-tailed Possum). Page 486 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 .