Bear Cuscus in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve Rests More and Feeds on Young Shoots

Image: article cover, from Rahmia and Mustari (2017), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

The bear cuscus (Ailurops ursinus), an endemic Sulawesi species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, spends most of its time resting in the lowland forest of the Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, Southeast Sulawesi. This was revealed by research by Rahmia Nugraha and Abdul Haris Mustari of the Department of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, published in the Journal Wasian in 2017. The study was conducted from February to March 2017 in the wildlife reserve area.

The research team recorded that the daily activity of the bear cuscus was dominated by resting, at 89.05 per cent. The remainder was spent moving (5.83 per cent), foraging (2.71 per cent) and feeding (2.41 per cent). The animal more frequently used canopy layer C, the middle part of the tree, for its activities. From observations of food, 80 plant species were recorded as potential food for the bear cuscus. The plant parts most frequently eaten were shoots and young leaves, each at 36.19 per cent.

On the Mobula transect, the tree species with the highest importance value was Pisonia umbellifera (28.33 per cent), while on the Mata Air transect it was Chisocheton ceramicus (44.72 per cent). Plant species diversity in this area is classified as high and its distribution is even. These findings are important because they show that the survival of the bear cuscus depends on the availability of diverse food plants, especially shoots and young leaves, in the lowland forests of Sulawesi.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Habitat Characteristics and Diet of Bear Cuscus (Ailurops ursinus) in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, Southeast Sulawesi by Rahmia Nugraha Rahmia and Abdul Haris Mustari Mustari, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 4 No. 2 (2017). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Rahmia, R. N., & Mustari, A. H. M. (2017). Habitat Characteristics and Diet of Bear Cuscus (Ailurops ursinus) in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, Southeast Sulawesi. Jurnal Wasian, 4(2), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.62142/x971yz69

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.