Moluccan couscous
| Moluccan couscous | ||||||||||||
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Moluccan couscous ( Phalanger ornatus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phalanger ornatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Gray , 1860) |
The Moluccan couscous ( Phalanger ornatus , Syn .: Cuscus ornatus ) is a marsupial from the climbing family (Phalangeridae), which occurs on some Indonesian islands. The nominate form , Phalanger ornatus ornatus , lives on the larger Moluccas Islands Halmahera , Bacan and Morotai , as well as on the eastern tip of the northern peninsula of Sulawesi ( Sulawesi Utara ), Phalanger ornatus matabiru (English "Blue-eyed-Cuscus") comes on the smaller Moluccas Islands of Ternate and Tidore .
features
The Moluccan couscous reaches a head body length of 35.5 to 42 cm, has a 28.5 to 36 cm long prehensile tail and reaches a weight of 1.1 to 2.2 kg. The fur is light brown, often with an orange or yellowish tinge. Adults show numerous, irregular, white spots and have a dark stripe on the center of the back. The skull of the Moluccan cuscus is rather small with a condylobasal length of 67 to 85 mm. There is a noticeable diastema between the incisors and the canine . On the island of Ternate, the irises of the animals are blue.
Habitat and way of life
The Moluccan couscous is adaptable and occurs in primary and secondary forests as well as in gardens. He is nocturnal and spends the day sleeping in trees. The animals feed mainly on fruits, including those of the nutmeg tree , and leaves. The females give birth to a single cub. Samples in January found all stages of young animals from newborns to adolescents weighing 900 g. As a result, there is no pronounced reproductive time.
Systematics
The Moluccan couscous was first scientifically described in 1860 under the name Cuscus ornatus . In 1995, the Australian zoologist Tim Flannery and his Indonesian colleague Bapak Boeadi published the first description of the blue-eyed cuscus. The latter is also listed as an independent species by some authors. The comparison of different type specimens of both forms from different museums shows, however, that the differences between Phalanger ornatus ornatus and Phalanger ornatus matabiru are too small to justify a position of the latter as an independent species. Together with the Obi cuscus ( Phalanger rothschildi ) and the Gebe cuscus ( Phalanger alexandrae ), the Moluccan cuscus forms a super-species , the Phalanger ornatus complex.
Danger
The IUCN estimates the existence of the Moluccan Couscous as safe ( Least Concern ). Although the range is relatively small with an area of less than 20,000 km², the population of the species appears to be stable. Phalanger ornatus matabiru , on the other hand, is considered endangered (Vulnerable). The reason is the even smaller area of distribution, hunting by humans and active volcanism on Ternate.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e 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.
- ↑ a b Phalanger matabiru in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Leary, T., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Helgen, K., Wright, D., Allison, A., Flannery, T., Salas, L. & Dickman, C., 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2018.