White cuscus
The common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus ), also known as the white cuscus, is a cuscus, a marsupial that lives in the Cape York region of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby smaller islands.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Common spotted cuscus is a marsupial, about the size of a common house cat. It has a round head, small hidden ears, thick fur, and a prehensile tail to aid in climbing. Its eyes range in color from yellows and oranges to reds and are slit much like a snake's. All four of its limbs have five digits and strong, curved claws, except the first digit on each foot. The second and third digits of the hindfoot are partly syndactylous: they are united by the skin at the top joint, but divide at the claws. These smaller claws can serve as hair combs when cleaning. The first and second digits of the forefoot are opposable to the other three, helping it grip branches while climbing. The undersides of its paws are bare and striated, which also help it grasp trees and food. The Common spotted cuscus has thick, woolly fur of varying colors depending on age, sex, and location. Males are typically grey/white or brown/white with splotchy patterns on their back and a white underbelly. Only males have spots. Females are usually white or grey and unspotted.
Common spotted cuscuses are found in Cape York, Queensland, in northeastern Australia, as well as New Guinea and nearby smaller islands. They occur in areas as far west as Sulawesi and as far east as the Solomon Islands. These animals live in rainforests, mangroves, hardwood, and eucalypt forests.
Common spotted cuscuses are typically very shy animals and are rarely seen, especially in northern Australia. They are nocturnal and sleep during the day on self-made platforms in tree branches. They may also rest in tree hollows, under tree roots, or among rocks. Common spotted cuscuses are slow-moving and somewhat sluggish, and thus sometimes mistaken for sloths, other possums, or even monkeys. They are typically solitary creatures and interactions with others, especially between competing males, can be aggressive and confrontational. Males scent mark their territory to warn off other males, emitting a penetrating musk odor both from their bodies and scent gland excretions. They distribute saliva on branches and twigs of trees to inform others of their territory and mediate social interactions. If they encounter another male in their area, they make barking, snarling, and hissing noises, and stand upright to defend their territories. They are aggressive and can scratch, bite, and kick potential predators.
Common spotted cuscuses are mainly herbivores (folivores, frugivores, nectarivores) and their diet includes a wide variety of plant products. They eat the leaves of ficus, alstonia, and slonea plants, nectar, and the fruits of ficus, lithocarpus, aglia, and possibly mischocarpus and pometia plants. These animals are also known to eat flowers, small animals, and occasionally eggs.
Common spotted cuscuses are polygynous meaning that males mate with more than one female within a single mating season. These animals breed year-round. The gestation period for a pregnant female is around 13 days, with a pouch period of 6-7 months. Females can have up to 3 young per birth but they rarely suckle more than 2. Each young weighs no more than 1 gram at birth and is held in the mother's well-developed forward-opening pouch. Young spotted cuscuses become reproductively mature at around one year old.
The Common spotted cuscus is not threatened at present, however, continued human expansion, an increase in demand for its meat and pelts, and destruction of its natural habitat could lead to a decline of the species population.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Common spotted cuscus total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
