Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Common Spotted Cuscus

Spilocuscus maculatus

MammaliaTropical rainforest, mangrove and secondary forest canopyLeast Concern

Field profile

The common spotted cuscus is a slow-moving arboreal possum with dense woolly fur, a round face and forward-facing eyes. Males carry irregular pale blotches; females are usually unspotted. It feeds mainly on leaves and fruit and spends the day asleep in the canopy.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-09-23

Common Spotted Cuscus

The cuscus is a possum mistaken for a monkey

Its round face, forward-set eyes and grasping tail have led observers to take the cuscus for a small primate. It is a marsupial, and New Guinea and Australia have no native monkeys at all.

Read with evidence →

Common Spotted Cuscus | Daily Animal Facts