Trivia question for Oct-20-2011

Olivia fell in love with these guys so it is no wonder that she picked this for here trivia.  These guys are tree dwellers and are able to find food, shelter and defense in the tree canopy, from which they seldom descend.

These guys are thought to breed throughout the year rather than having a strict breeding season. The mother gives birth to between 2 and 4 babies after a gestation period of just a couple of weeks. As with all marsupials, the female has a pouch on her tummy which the new born babies crawl into and stay until they are bigger, less vulnerable and able to start feeding themselves. Typically only one of the babies will survive and emerge from the pouch after 6 or 7 months.

So here are Olivia’s questions:  Tell us what this cute little creature is and what they do when they are threatened by a predator?  Also, these guys have long been hunted for their tasty flesh, tell us who hunts and eats them?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Wow, Olivia is surprised, no one was able to identify her trivia correctly.  The cuddly marsupial she featured is the Cuscus.  When threatened by a predator, a cuscus emits a musky, foul-smelling oder in self defense.  Cuscus have long been hunted for their tasty flesh by the tribespeople of central New Guinea.

Cususes are found on the northern tip of Australia as well as New Guinea and the surrounding islands. They grow to be two feet long, not including their tails. They weigh from one to four kilograms. They have long curly tails also two feet long. They have big eyes, and small ears, which are hard to see. Cuscuses have woolly fur, which can be solid brown, gray, or white, but can also be spotted and striped. The ends of their tails are hairless, but have scales. These animals are nocturnal. Cuscuses eat fruit, leaves, nectar, insects, and small birds. These creatures are like the sloth, but more energetic. Here is more on these little guys: Cuscus

Thanks for playing along 😉