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Glite Dictionary
cuscus

cuscus

1 9.9
A woolly tree mammal from New Guinea and northern Australia that carries young in a pouch
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : cuscús
  • Many visitors to New Guinea hope to spot a cuscus sleeping high in the branches during their jungle trek.

Examples

  • PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Cuscus is one of 250 species of mammals found in Papua New Guinea, most of which are bats and rodents.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Our larder was a footlocker of canned goods, which we supplemented with locally bought food such as rice and, occasionally, a cuscus or tree wallaby, brought in by a hunter and cooked over a small fire.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The cuscus is a unique marsupial that spends most of its time in the trees of New Guinea.

  • With its woolly fur and monkey-like appearance, the cuscus is often found in the dense forests of northern Australia.

Synonyms

genus Phalanger
vscuscus
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of cuscuses, marsupial animals from Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands

is a single species or animal within that larger genus

Surface Forms

cuscus singular
cuscuses plural

Etymology

The word cuscus comes from a local New Guinea or Malay word kuskus, the name people used for the woolly tree animal. So English kept the local name for this slow, soft-furred pouch animal, much like koala is a local name kept in English for an Australian animal.