The northern common cuscus (Phalamger orientalis) Misool, Raja Ampat in western New Guinea, Indonesia. Photo by: Dmitry Telnov.
Cuscus are marsupials found in Indonesia, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Dwelling in tropical rainforests, they inhabit a niche similar to monkey, foraging throughout the canopy for leaves and fruit. In some cases cuscus will eat birds and lizards. There are over 20 species of marsupials known as cuscus, belonging to 4 different genera. Many of the species are little-studied and barely known to the outside world.
The northern common cuscus, pictured above, is native to the island of New Guinea. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, although many of the cuscus species are threatened by deforestation and hunting for meat.
For more photos of cuscus click here.
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