Protecting The Blue-Eyed Spotted Cuscus

 

 The pale blue eyes of the Blue-Eyed Spotted Cuscus
Picture by Sunanda Creagh

    The Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus also known as the Biak Spotted Cuscus is a critically endangered animal located in the Oceania Continent. Specifically, Biak Island off of Northwest Papua New Guinea a large tropical island in the Pacific Ocean. The Blue-spotted Cuscus is a species of Marsupial of the family Phalangolidae, whos population is decreasing, and is clearly identifiable with their pale blue eyes. They look like a Possum with spots of white and brown with a white belly, a short rounded head with pointy snout and near the size of a common house cat. Since this animal is very rare not much is know about it, the only times we've identified this animal is by 2 museum pieces and as a pet of a local. With that being stated Cuscus' are mainly Herbivories eating Fruits and leaves(Animals Network Team). Not much is known about this specific species growth cycle yet, some Cuscus live majority of their lives in the trees barely leaving the trees. 

This is the Biak Island the Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus solely live on
Image by General MacArthur

    The Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus lives high up in the canopies of the tropical rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Living high up in the trees gives the Cuscus a distinct advantage of having their primary food source at their reach, and hide from predators in the trees. The trees protect the Cuscus from snakes that prowl the floor but, for the eagles above they use a sort of camouflage by using leaves and putting it around them and tucking their heads in. Cuscus are very slow and shy animals which makes them hard to see against other animals which aids in hiding against animals but, once seen they cannot run away. Living in the canopies the Cuscus uses their tails to hold on to branches(A-Z Animal). Since being in the tropics the temperatures could get very hot, so these animals use leaves as a bed to cool off or crawl into logs and shade. 

This depicts the forestry located on the Islands and land uses
Photo by Ethan Harfenist

A representation of the tropical forests that are on Biak
Photo by eGuide Travel

     A threat that imposes on Cuscus' habitat and living conditions is by being hunted by humans. The Cuscus fur and meat is prized by the locals of Papua as the meat is a source of food and the fur is a commodity of hats and clothing. Poachers seek these animals as a prize target mainly because they are slow and are highly regarded by locals. Locals also tend to capture these animals and keep them as pets, reportedly they are pretty good as pets but often bite(Animals Network Team).Being hunted is one of the most important reason why it is critically endangered. This animal only has 2 offspring and must stay in the mothers pouch for 7 months before becoming independent. This makes for a small chance for offspring to live in a smaller habitat whilst being hunted. 

Representation for deforestation on Cuscus population depletion
Photo by Ben Webster

    Since this animal is only regarded in the other side of the world its a bit hard to see how the people of Keene could aid this animal. However, the best way to try is to bring awareness to other animals like the Blue-eyed Spotted Cuscus and their criticality to being extinct. Bringing awareness to animals that are being hunted by either protests or going straight to your states representative is possibly the best ways to work on helping others. Some programs even let you go to these areas and probably look for other people who are wanting to help aid these animals who can't help themselves. The Representatives also have the ability to reach out to these other countries by the way of the President and the House of Representatives who could broaden this awareness more than the average person. 

This picture shows the fur that the Locals hunt these animals for
Photo by Queensland Government