The black-spotted cuscus, Spilocuscus rufoniger, is a marsupial in the family Phalangeridae and among its largest members, surpassed only by the bear cuscus. Adults weigh about 6 to 7 kg and measure around 120 cm including a 50 cm tail. It is a relatively colourful species of the forests of northern New Guinea, with red and black woolly fur; females are bigger and uniformly dark, while males are spotted. It is nocturnal, mostly arboreal and solitary, and is believed to be an omnivore. Overhunting for meat and fur and conversion of forest to farmland have removed it from large parts of its range, and the IUCN has rated it Critically Endangered since 2010.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Black-spotted cuscus (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Black-spotted cuscus (Wikipedia)Lead, where it livesQuote, Lead, where it lives
It is a relatively colourful species found in forests of northern New Guinea.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Black-spotted cuscus (Wikipedia)Geographic range and habitat, where it livesQuote, Geographic range and habitat, where it lives
it has been commonly seen in Sattelberg, a village in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea
Sources
1. Black-spotted cuscus (Wikipedia)
Lead
The black-spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae.
Lead, conservation status
Consequently, it is rated as Critically Endangered by IUCN.
Population
The population of this species is drastically declining due to human disruptions.
Behavior
Being nocturnal creatures, they rest in a curled position on high branches throughout the day.
Diet
They are believed to be omnivores that consume small animals.
Population, threats
The main threat to the black-spotted cuscus is overhunting.
Population, threats (2)
has led to the conversion from forestry to cultivated land for agricultural purposes
Population, relationship to people
it is frequently hunted for its meat
Description
Adult black-spotted cuscuses weigh approximately 6 to 7 kg (13 to 15 lb) on average.
Geographic range and habitat
It dwells in undisturbed lower-montane, tropical, primary forests
Lead, where it lives
It is a relatively colourful species found in forests of northern New Guinea.
Geographic range and habitat, where it lives
it has been commonly seen in Sattelberg, a village in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea
Status
The population of this species is drastically declining
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web: Spilocuscus rufoniger
Animal Diversity WebCITESQuote, CITES
CITES No special status
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