You might be wondering if this is the name of some giant grizzly bear. Well, it isn’t. The Sulawesi bear cuscus is a rare arboreal marsupial with a koala-like body, head like a possum, and is commonly called the marsupial monkey. They exist peacefully along with pigs, dwarf buffaloes, and primates and are usually located in the upper canopies of the lowland tropical rainforests of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.
If you didn’t know, arboreal signifies animals that live on trees while marsupials are mammals whose offspring are pre-mature and cling inside the mother’s pouch until they become mature. Yes, the kangaroo is a marsupial!
Herbivorous in nature, the Sulawesi bear cuscus lives in pairs or small groups of three or four. Leaves, unripe fruits, and flowers that are low in nutrients from their diet. Hence, they are lethargic and move at a slow pace. They are known to spend most of the day lounging and resting for better digestion of food.
Their movement is so gentle that they are fondly called the forest’s ‘slow-motion acrobats’.
Sadly, large-scale poaching for their meat and fur coats, and massive deforestation have resulted in these poor creatures being listed as ‘Vulnerable Species’ by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).
Picture Credit : Google
