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Sulawesi bear cuscus
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Phalangeridae
Genus:	Ailurops
Species:	A. ursinus
Binomial name
Ailurops ursinus (Temminck, 1824)
Sulawesi bear cuscus range
Synonyms
Phalanger ursinus (Temminck, 1824)

The Sulawesi bear cuscus, also known as the Sulawesi bear phalanger (Ailurops ursinus), is a species of arboreal marsupial in the family Phalangeridae that is endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in Indonesia. It lives in tropical moist lowland forest at elevations up to 600 m (2,000 ft) and is diurnal, folivorous and often found in pairs. A. ursinus is threatened by hunting, collection for the pet trade and deforestation.

One specimen was observed adopting a raised posture while making short, harsh sounds, alternating between chatter and click sounds.

Bear cuscuses can feed on the young leaves of up to 31 different species of plants varying from trees, lianas, and mistletoes. Feeding only amounts to about 5% of their daily activity, compared to about 63% spent on resting.

Gallery

• Male in Tangkoko Nature Reserve
• Female and infant on fruiting Ficus tree in Tangkoko
• Bear cuscus in Sulawesi
• Ailurops ursinus in Tangkoko

References

1. Groves, C. P. (2005). "Order Diprotodontia". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. ^ Salas, L.; Dickman, C.; Helgen, K.; Flannery, T. (2019). "Ailurops ursinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T40637A21949654. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T40637A21949654.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
3. Bool, Ian; Slaymaker, Matthew; Magrath, Robert D.; Arfian, Arthur; Karya, Adi; Analuddin, Kangkuso; Courtney Jones, Stephanie K. (May 2021). "First record of acoustic behaviour in Sulawesi bear cuscus ( Ailurops ursinus )". Austral Ecology. 46 (3): 507–512. Bibcode:2021AusEc..46..507B. doi:10.1111/aec.12993. ISSN 1442-9985. S2CID 234387519.
4. ^ Dwiyahreni, Asri A.; Kinnaird, Margaret F.; O'Brien, Timothy G.; Supriatna, Jatna; Andayani, Noviar (1999). "Diet and Activity of the Bear Cuscus, Ailurops ursinus, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia". Journal of Mammalogy. 80 (3): 905–12. doi:10.2307/1383259. ISSN 0022-2372. JSTOR 1383259.

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• IUCN Red List vulnerable species
• Possums
• Mammals of Sulawesi
• Mammals described in 1824
• Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck
• Diprotodont stubs