Spilocuscus maculatus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The common spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus), also known as the white cuscus, is a cuscus, a marsupial that lives in the Cape York region of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby smaller islands. It is known as aklang or gabi in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.
The common spotted cuscus is about the size of a common house cat, weighing 1.5 to 6 kilograms (3.3 to 13.2 lb), body size about 35 to 65 centimetres (14 to 26 in) long, and a tail 32 to 60 centimetres (13 to 24 in) long. It has a round head, small hidden ears, thick fur, and a prehensile tail to aid in climbing. Its eyes range in colour from yellows and oranges to reds, and are slit much like a snake's. All four of its limbs have five digits and strong, curved claws, except the first digit on each foot. The second and third digits of the hind foot are partly syndactylous: they are united by skin at the top joint, but divide at the claws. These smaller claws can serve as hair combs when cleaning. The first and second digits of the fore foot are opposable to the other three, helping it grip branches while climbing. The undersides of its paws are bare and striated, which also help it grasp... Wikipedia →
Call0:22
Australia · 2018
© Marc Anderson · XC979178 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Port Moresby Nature Park | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spotted Cuscus sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spotted Cuscus in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in February–July, September and December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Spotted Cuscus sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Common Spotted Cuscus sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Spotted Cuscus is recorded against all the mammals logged in Raja Ampat (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
