Obi-couscous
| Obi-couscous | ||||||||||||
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| Phalanger rothschildi | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1898 |
The Obi-Kuskus ( Phalanger rothschildi ) is a little researched bag mammal from the climbing bag family . It is endemic to the Obi Islands in the Northern Moluccas . The type epithet honors the British zoologist Walter Rothschild , who gave Oldfield Thomas permission to describe the type specimen from his private collection .
features
The Obi-Kuskus reaches a head-trunk length of 36 to 39 cm, a tail length of 33 to 33.5 cm and a weight of 1.1 to 1.4 kg. The condylobasal length of the skull is 65 to 69 mm. The skull of the Obi-Kuskus is similar to that of the Moluccan Cuscus ( Phalanger ornatus ) and the Gebe-Kuskus ( Phalanger alexandrae ). He has a pronounced diastema between the incisors and the canine . It is smaller than the skull of the related species and has smaller teeth. There are two color morphs of the Obi-Kuskus, one with an orange-brown and one with a gray back fur and a dark undercoat. The peritoneum is whitish to yellow. A dark back stripe runs from the head to the middle of the back or to the rump.
Distribution area and habitat
The Obi-Kuskus inhabits primary forests and new growth on the Obi Islands Obi, Bisa and Obilatu.
Reproductive behavior
During field studies on Obi and Bisa in January 1991, the zoologists Tim Flannery and Bapak Boeadi found four females with one young each. The embryos were a maximum of 2 cm long and weighed up to 99 g.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life. The Obi-Kuskus is nocturnal and spends the day hidden in the canopy. Similar to other species of cuscus, the diet likely consists of leaves and fruits. For example, chewed nuts were discovered under a large, fruit-bearing tree of the genus Lithocarpus , which was used by the Obi-Kuskus as a feeding place.
status
The Obi-Kuskus is classified by the IUCN as "not endangered" ( least concern ). Although the range of the Obi-Kuskus is relatively small with less than 3,000 km 2 , the species is regarded as relatively insensitive to changes in habitat and its population is regarded as stable.
literature
- Tim Flannery : Mammals of the South-West Pacific & Moluccan Islands. Reed Books, Chatswood 1995, ISBN 0-7301-0417-6 . P. 102
- Kristofer Helgen & Stephen Jackson: Family Phalangeridae (Cuscuses, Brush-tailed Possums and Scaly-tailed Possum). In: Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Monotremes and Marsupials: Volume 5. Lynx Edicions Barcelona, 2015. ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 : S. 490
Web links
- Phalanger rothschildi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.2. Listed by: Leary, T., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Helgen, K., Wright, D., Allison, A. & Flannery, T., 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2015.