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 AustralianzoologistTim Flannery. It is believed to live only in the extremely restricted range of one valley's oak forests at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,000 m (4,900 and 6,600 ft) along a single river in the middle of Papua New Guinea: the Nong River Valley north of Telefomin. After 1997's drought, extremely cold weather ("bitter frosts") which killed the trees, and resulting wildfires, these forests were destroyed, which Flannery believes might have resulted in the species' extinction. In 2022, British tourist Michael Smith found the Telefomin cuscus eaten by the locals, indicating that this species is still surviving in the wild.[3]
Habitat
This cuscus can or has been found in the areas of Telefomin and Tifalmin, and Papua New Guinea. It might be found even further northeast or west of the known collection areas. The only place where it is known with certainty was largely destroyed by a fire in 1998 which was caused by a drought during an El Niño.[2]
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