Mammals of the WorldPeleng Cuscus
Phalanger pelengensis
- Order
- Diprotodontia
- Family
- Phalangeridae
- Genus
- Phalanger
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Indonesia
- Realm
- Australasia
Other names: Banggai Cuscus|Menden's Cuscus|Peleng Phalanger
About this species
- Habitat
- Open dry forest, secondary growth, farmland and scrub
- Range
- Peleng, the Banggai and Sula islands, and Manui
The Peleng cuscus is a small phalangerid marsupial, also called the Banggai cuscus. Its upper fur is orange-brown, the underside is yellowish, and the broad-based tail lacks a distinct dark dorsal stripe. A museum study comparing 13 Indonesian cuscus species found Strigocuscus pelengensis to be the smallest of the group and detected measurable sexual differences in its skull proportions (Farida 2022; Kayana 2025).
Records centre on Peleng and other Banggai and Sula islands, with an additional observation from Manui. In the Sula Islands it has been reported from open dry forest, secondary habitat, farmland and scrub, showing that records are not confined to intact rainforest. A 2024–2025 survey in Kokolomboi found four individuals in layered vegetation, but the limited sightings underline how little field information is available for the species (Farida 2022; Faisal 2026).
Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com)