Common spotted cuscus
Spilocuscus maculatus
TAXONOMY
Spilocuscus maculatus (Desmarest, 1818), Vogelkop, Irian Jaya, Indonesia.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
German: Tüpfelkuskus.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
A relatively large phalanger (weighing up to 13.2 lb [6 kg]) with large round eyes and very small ears. The coat is colorful but very variable, and differs characteristically both between the sexes and among the four subspecies. Males may be pure white or spotted with red-orange, black, or gray, while females are often unspotted, with an unbroken black or gray "saddle" on the back.
DISTRIBUTION
S. m. maculatus: northern New Guinea; S. m. chrysorrhous: southern New Guinea and the central Moluccas; S. m. goldiei: southeastern New Guinea; and S. m. nudicaudatus: tropical northern Australia.
HABITAT
Lowland rainforest, from sea level to 3,900 ft (1,200 m).
BEHAVIOR
Nocturnal and arboreal, rarely descending to the ground. It has an unusually low metabolic rate, and its movement through the trees is often relatively slow.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Predominantly leaves and fruit.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Females have four mammae. Two to four young have been reported in a litter, but a single young is most common. Infants exit the pouch six to seven months after birth. It is not known whether breeding is seasonal or takes place year-round. The estrous cycle lasts four weeks; at the peak of the cycle, females are highly vocal. Mating system is not known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Widely hunted and often transported and sold as a pet or as food in local markets in New Guinea.
