Blue-eyed spotted cuscus

The blue-eyed spotted cuscus or Biak spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus wilsoni) is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae. More commonly known members of the Phalangeridae family include the brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), scaly-tailed possum (Wyulda squamicaudata) and the common spotted cuscus (Pilocuscus maculatus).[1] Based on fossil records, many members of the Phalangeridae family originated from the rainforests of Australia in regions like Tasmania and in the famous fossil deposits at Riversleigh in Queensland.[1]

The blue-eyed spotted cuscus also belongs to the genus Spilocuscus. This genus contains other species of cuscus who also belong to the Phalageridae family. These species include:

-Admiralty Island cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri)

-Common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus)

-Waigeou cuscus (Spilocuscus papuensis)

-Black-spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus rufoniger)

The blue-eyed spotted cuscus is known to have a creamy white underbelly with a pale marbled coat with shades of brown, grey, and white. Unlike other cuscus species of the genus Spilocuscus, this species is relatively smaller in size and has distinct pale blue eyes. Another distinct feature the blue-eyed spotted cuscus has are prehensile tails. These tails are often used to grab or hold onto various things. For the blue-eyed spotted cuscus, they can use their tails to grab onto food like fruits and leaves, but they primarily use them as anchor to help hold its body up when hanging from branches and acting as an aid for tree climbing.[2]

Blue-eyed spotted cuscus
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[3]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Phalangeridae
Genus:	Spilocuscus
Species:	S. wilsoni
Binomial name
Spilocuscus wilsoni Helgen & Flannery, 2004
Blue-eyed spotted cuscus range

The blue-eyed cuscus can be found throughout the ecoregion in the Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua of Indonesia.This region is made up of the islands Biak, Supiori, and Numfor. Despite being endemic to the islands Biak and Supiori, the blue-eyed spotted cuscus have been spotted on the island of Numfor as pets.[4] The blue-eyed spotted cuscus typically can be found in the treetops of the tropical rainforests found throughout the Supiori and Biak islands. Due to the rugged terrain found throughout the Supiori island, the island is better insulated from human foot traffic, allowing for more of the species population to flourish compared to the Biak island.

The major threats to the blue-eyed spotted cuscus include habitat loss, hunting, and being collected for the exotic pet trade by locals. Due to the rapid, ongoing deforestation happening on the islands these animals live on, the species is losing valuable resources it needs to survive (including shelter, food sources, and space).[4] Due to how rare it is to come across one of these individuals, the blue-eyed spotted cuscus was only scientifically described in 2004 and has consequently been rated as critically endangered by the IUCN as of 2015.[5] Recent surveys have failed to find any wild individuals from the Numfor island and most recently, the Biak island as well.

Currently there are no wide spread conservation efforts in protecting this species due to their rarity. However, 12% of the ecoregion (344km²) has been classified as protected between the three islands.[4][6]

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/06/pictures/110627-new-species-rare-animals-papua-new-guinea-wwf/#/papua-new-guinea-new-species-wwf-snub-fin-dolphin_37041_600x450.jpg