cuscus

cuscus [kus′kəs]

n.

〚ModL < native name in New Guinea〛

any of a genus (Phalanger, family Phalangeridae) of sluggish, tree-dwelling phalangers native to NE Australia and nearby islands, mostly vegetarian with foxlike ears and a prehensile tail

* * *

cus·cus (kŭsʹkəs) n.

Any of several nocturnal marsupials of the genus Phalanger of New Guinea, Australia, and adjacent islands, having large eyes, small ears, a pointed snout, and a long prehensile tail.

  [New Latin, probably from a New Guinean word.]

* * *

▪ marsupial

      any of the seven species of Australasian marsupial mammals of the genus Phalanger. These are the marsupial “monkeys.” The head and body are 30 to 65 cm (12 to 25 inches) long, the tail 25 to 60 cm (10 to 24 inches). The big eyes are yellow-rimmed, and the nose is yellowish; the ears are nearly hidden in the fine dense fur. Cuscuses move slowly through the trees, capturing birds and lizards by stealth but mostly eating leaves and fruit. The female is pouched and usually has one or two young at a time.

      Cuscuses range from Celebes to the Solomon islands and northern Australia. In the spotted cuscus (P. maculatus) of Australia and New Guinea, the male usually is brown, with large pale blotches; the female is plain-coloured. Some other cuscuses are nearly black, with faint spotting (males); still others are plain whitish.

* * *