Wacky Wednesday: The Phalangerids January 18, 2012

Cuscus http://www.google.com/imgres?q=cuscus&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&authuser=0&biw=1366&bih=670&tbm=isch&tbnid=WXxVUvL412MotM:&imgrefurl=http://www.itsnature.org/trees/mammals-trees/cuscus/&docid=-dtVyQnND4irVM&imgurl=http://www.itsnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/new-cuscus3.jpg&w=800&h=526&ei=EU0WT5SyFILc0QGA24DKAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=459&vpy=160&dur=271&hovh=182&hovw=277&tx=136&ty=78&sig=108552710705850785284&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=188&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0)

Phalangerids are a family of marsupials from Australia & New Guinea and include species such as brushtail possums and cuscuses.  Supposedly 26 phalangerid species exist, but most of them remain very elusive due to their clandestine behavior hidden in dense rain forests. The most common phalangerid is the common brushtail possum, and thus it is the one we know most about. Scarily, though, we know very little about the more threatened cuscus.