Small Sulawesi Cuscus

About this species

Size

Head and body 29.4–38cm; tail 27–37.3cm

Weight

Up to about 1kg

Diet

Fruit, young leaves, flowers and tender stem tips

Habitat

Rainforest, secondary forest and gardens

Range

Sulawesi, the Sangihe Islands and nearby islands

Litter size

1–4 born; usually 1 reared

Gestation

20 days or less

The Sulawesi dwarf cuscus is a small, pale-buff phalangerid with no dorsal stripe and a partly naked, gripping tail. Adults weigh no more than roughly 1 kg; reported head-and-body length is 29.4–38 cm and the tail 27–37.3 cm. It lives in rainforest as well as secondary growth and gardens. Recognised populations extend through southern, central and northern Sulawesi and the Sangihe Islands, with additional records from nearby islands (Animal Diversity Web, general species account).

This nocturnal, tree-dwelling cuscus is often recorded in male–female pairs and may sleep among coconut crowns. A Wawonii Island study identified 45 food plants and found that animals ate fruit, young leaves, flowers and tender stem tips; 11 plant species were used as nest sites. Females have two to four teats and may produce one to four young, although usually only one is reared; reported gestation is no more than 20 days and pouch young emerge after five to eight months (Farida and Dahruddin; Animal Diversity Web).

Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com)