Talaud bear cuscus
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The Talaud bear cuscus (''Ailurops melanotis'') is a species of
marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...
in the family
Phalangeridae The Phalangeridae are a family of mostly nocturnal marsupials native to Australia, New Guinea, and Eastern Indonesia, including the cuscuses, brushtail possums, and their close relatives. Considered a type of possum, most species are arboreal, ...
. It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to Salibabu Island in the
Talaud Islands The Talaud Islands (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Talaud'') also spelled Talaur or Talaut, are a group of islands situated about 225 miles (360 km) northeast of Sulawesi, in Indonesia, north-east of the Sangihe Islands. The Ta ...
, Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. The species is considered Critically Endangered, with a small population size and heavy hunting pressure on both islands where it occurs, as well as continued habitat degradation. When alarmed, the Talaud bear cuscus emits a strong musk odour.


References

Possums Mammals of Indonesia Mammals described in 1898 {{Diprotodont-stub