Phalanger orientalis
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The northern common cuscus (Phalanger orientalis), also known as the gray cuscus, is a species of marsupial in the family Phalangeridae native to northern New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands, but is now also found in the Bismarck Archipelago, southeast and central Moluccas, the Solomons, and Timor, where it is believed to have been introduced in prehistoric times from New Guinea. It was formerly considered conspecific with the allopatric P. intercastellanus and P. mimicus.
It is hunted for human consumption in New Guinea. It is known as laku ita in the Naueti language or meda in the Tetum Terik Tetum language of Timor-Leste. The northern common cuscus normally inhabits disturbed habitats. These would include secondary forest, plantations, and gardens. This species is also found in primary tropical forests. While living in the arboreal environments, hunters in the area believe that the tree hollows are the preferred den site of the cuscus. Local villagers reported that the northern common cuscus can be found in any substantially forested areas from coastal monsoon rainforest and gallery forest to the remnant montane rainforest.
The northern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Common Cuscus sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Common Cuscus in Raja Ampat on a given day, against about 20% in April and November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Common Cuscus sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Northern Common Cuscus sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Phalangeridae
The closest relatives of the Northern Common Cuscus that you can see in Raja Ampat (family Phalangeridae, Cuscuses and Brush-tailed Possums) are Waigeou Cuscus (about 70%) and Common Spotted Cuscus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Common Cuscus is recorded against all the mammals logged in Raja Ampat (38 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.
