The Woodlark cuscus (Phalanger lullulae ) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae endemic to Papua New Guinea, specifically on Madau and Woodlark Island, a part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It happens to be the largest mammal living on Woodlark Island but it is also found on the neighboring island of Alcester, 70 kilometers south of Woodlark Island.
The generic name, Phalanger, is of Greek origin and means "spider's web." This name is given in reference to their syndactyly that exists on their hind feet. Its specific name, lullulae, is Latin in origin and is the Latin translation of "Woodlark."
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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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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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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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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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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'...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Altricial 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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starts withThe Woodlark cuscus is overall a medium-sized marsupial with dark facial skin, very small pink colored ears, and a pink rhinarium. While they are medium-sized, the females, on average, tend to be slightly larger than the males.
What also sets this marsupial apart from all of the others is its short fur which is marble-like with a mix of white, dark brown, and ginger spots on its back and a white underbelly. Because the mixture is so varied between each Woodlark cuscus, you will never find two of these marsupials with exactly the same coat pattern on its back. While this is true, the species can be divided into two groups: light morphs and dark morphs. Light morphs have the lighter color mixture on their coats so they would have more of the white and ginger colors accompanied by small patches of dark fur. Dark morphs have the darker color mixture on their coats, sporting more of the dark brown along with some patches of white fur. While both morphs are adorned with a dark dorsal stripe on their backs, it is more easily recognizable on the light morphs.
The fur continues on along the tail of this possum but abruptly stops once the distal portion of the tail is reached to reveal a hairless tail. This naked part of the tail is dark much like its face and is a bit rugose but since it is also prehensile, it allows for the tail to be used for gripping.
This possum lives its arboreal life in primary and secondary tropical forests with a preference for the dry lowland forest. The hunters on Woodlark Island claim that the Phalanger lullalae finds shelter under the epiphytes and inside tree hollows during the day. Since the dry lowland forest makes up the Eastern half of Woodlark Island, there is a higher prominence of these possums here compared to the dense rain forests of the Western half of the Island.
Thanks to Oxford University's journey to Woodlark Island, they were able to note and monitor the behavior of the Woodlark cuscus by using radio tracking techniques. These studies revealed that the cuscus is a solitary animal and the activities of the cuscus surround the few sleeping trees they come in contact with. They sleep during the day so they are nocturnal and their arboreal lifestyle lends them the opportunity to forage for food in the upper regions of trees while they nest in the lower regions of trees that are designated for sleeping. While foraging, they will make a variety of vocalizations to communicate from barking to snarling as a whining cry which sounds much like that of a human infant. When they interact, they have proven to be quite aggressive towards each other. With four species of bats living on the island, they are seen as potential competitors with the cuscuses. When obtaining food, they may eat the secondary regrowth from the tree and vine Rhus taitensis which grows quickly and contains the nectar which the locals on the island claim that they enjoy. Other sources indicate that they eat two species of vine which have yet to be identified.
The behaviors that occur among male and female Woodlark cuscus before, during, and after mating have not yet been observed. However, the capture of five female Woodlark cuscuses in August 1987 led to the following interesting observations: one of the females were parous but did not have any young while another was clearly lactating. Two others had its naked young in their pouches while one of them had its older young on its back. This transition from the pouch of the mother to the back of the mother as the young age is typical in the Phalanger lullulae because they are metatherians and this transition is typical metatherian behavior. The various states of the young and female cuscuses were in demonstrate that the breeding season most likely happens over a long period of time. It has also been noted that they give birth to single young.
Another aspect of the Woodlark cuscus' metatherian identity can be seen the composition of the mother's milk. As the young grow, the carbohydrate, lipid, and protein compositions in the mother's milk fluctuates in accordance to the stage the young Phalanger lullulae is in as it grows. The tiny young will feed on milk that is very dilute and composted of simple sugars while the older ones feed on more concentrated milk.
