Telefomin cuscus

Telefomin cuscus [1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Diprotodontia
Family:	Phalangeridae
Genus:	Phalanger
Species:	P. matanim
Binomial name
Phalanger matanim Flannery, 1987
Telefomin cuscus range

The Telefomin cuscus (Phalanger matanim) is a critically endangered possum found on New Guinea. It is named after the Telefol ethnic group, who hunted the animal long before it was identified scientifically by the Australian zoologist Tim Flannery.

Habitat

This cuscus has been found in the Telefomin and Tifalmin regions of Papua New Guinea. It is believed to inhabit an extremely restricted range within the oak forests of a single valley, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,000 m (4,900 and 6,600 ft), along the Nong River Valley north of Telefomin in central Papua New Guinea. Its range may potentially extend further northeast or west of the currently known collection sites. This only confirmed habitat area was largely devastated by a fire in 1998, which resulted from drought conditions during an El Niño event. ^[2]

Status

After 1997's drought, extremely cold weather ("bitter frosts") which killed the trees, and resulting wildfires, the species' habitat forests were destroyed, which Flannery believes might have resulted in the species' extinction.

In 2022, British amateur naturalist Michael Smith claimed he had found various Telefomin cuscus being eaten by a local tribe. He confirmed it to be the once-thought-extinct species by collecting photographs and measurements of their skulls, indicating that this species is still surviving in the wild. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

References

1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 47. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
2. Leary, T.; Seri, L.; Flannery, T.; Wright, D.; Hamilton, S.; Helgen, K.; Singadan, R.; Menzies, J.; Allison, A.; James, R.; Salas, L.; Dickman, C. (2016). "Phalanger matanim". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T16851A21950802. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16851A21950802.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
3. Cosic, M. (March 4, 2023). "Possum feared extinct discovered being cooked on a hungry family's BBQ". Mirror. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
4. Smith, Michael; Weston, Phoebe (2024-01-10). "I discovered a tree kangaroo that had only been seen once – by the man who shot it in 1928". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-12-17.
5. Sweetnam, James (2023-03-04). "Brit tourist baffles expert by discovering three species thought to be extinct". Daily Star. Retrieved 2025-12-17.