Telefomin cuscus
The Telefomin cuscus 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 Australian zoologist Tim Flannery.
Habitat
This cuscus has been found in the Telefomin and Tifalmin regions of Papua New Guinea. It is believed to inhabit an extremely restricted range within the oak forests of a single valley, at elevations between, along the Nong River Valley north of Telefomin in central Papua New Guinea. Its range may potentially extend further northeast or west of the currently known collection sites. This only confirmed habitat area was largely devastated by a fire in 1998, which resulted from drought conditions during an El Niño event.Status
After 1997's drought, extremely cold weather which killed the trees, and resulting wildfires, the species' habitat forests were destroyed, which Flannery believes might have resulted in the species' extinction.In 2022, British amateur naturalist Michael Smith claimed he had found various Telefomin cuscus being eaten by a local tribe. He confirmed it to be the once-thought-extinct species by collecting photographs and measurements of their skulls, indicating that this species is still surviving in the wild.