Mammals · Diprotodontia · Phalangeridae

Common Phalanger

Phalanger orientalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The common phalanger is a slow-moving arboreal marsupial with a woolly grey coat and a prehensile tail that is bare along its outer half. It lives in the rainforests of New Guinea, the Moluccas and several islands of the western Pacific, where it feeds on leaves, shoots and fruit. Its present distribution is partly the work of people: the peoples of the region carried it between islands for millennia as a source of meat, and several island populations are prehistoric introductions.

Weight

1.5 kg – 2.5 kg

Size

33 cm – 40 cm

Lifespan

11 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestIslandsHerbivore Nocturnal Solitary Rainforest Islands Mammal

4countries 6parks2same family

Fun facts

It is among the first animals humans deliberately carried between islands: archaeological remains show that Pacific peoples were taking it from one island to another more than 10,000 years ago, long before livestock farming.
It moves so slowly and so deliberately that it is often compared with a sloth, although the two are unrelated: it is a marsupial and they are South American placentals.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Tropical rainforest, secondary forest and wooded gardens of New Guinea and the Moluccas
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanger_orientalis