Scaly tail kusu
| Scaly tail kusu | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Wyulda | ||||||||||||
| Alexander , 1918 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Wyulda squamicaudata | ||||||||||||
| Alexander , 1918 |
The scallop- tail kusu ( Wyulda squamicaudata ) is a species of marsupial mammal from the climbing bag family (Phalangeridae). These animals live exclusively in the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia .
The name-giving feature is the tail, which is covered in the rear half by small scales, which can be used as a prehensile tail. The short, soft fur of the animals is gray-brown in color, a dark stripe on the back runs from the shoulders to the rear. The belly and throat are lighter in color. Scaled tail kusus reach a head body length of 29 to 40 centimeters, the tail is 25 to 33 centimeters long and the weight of the animals is 1.4 to 2 kilograms.
The habitat of these animals is tree-lined, rocky terrain. They are nocturnal and sleep in crevices during the day. At night they go in search of food, often climbing trees. They are omnivores that eat leaves, fruits, insects and probably also small vertebrates. Scal tail cusus live solitary.
A single young animal is usually born between March and August and is weaned after eight months. Sexual maturity occurs relatively late, in males at 1.5 years of age, in females at 3 years of age.
Only four specimens were known until 1965, since then the animals have been observed regularly. Their habitat, however, is relatively small and fragmented, the IUCN lists them as "missing data".
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wyulda squamicaudata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: McKnight, M., 2008. Accessed July 7 in 2009.