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FAMILY PHALANGISTID^E— (THE PHALANGERS.) 
The animals forming this group differ considerably in their general habit and dentition. The normal number 
is -Incisors -, canines — , premolars — or — , molars = 32 — 36 teeth. The canines and first premolar are often 
wanting. In the genus Phascolarctos the series is permanent, but reduced to 30 teeth, there being no lower canines, 
and but one premolar in each ramus. The pouch is present, well developed and downwards, the number of teats four, 
and the young produced at a birth generally one ; but in the Ringtail Phalanger litters of four have been noticed. 
The toes are five on the fore-feet, and five, including a nailless thumb, behind ; the two inner toes are joined by a 
membrane, as in the Wombat or Kangaroo tribe. The Phalangers are found in almost every part of Australia, except 
the Koala or Native Bear, which is restricted to the east and south-east coast ; and the members of the genus Cuscus , 
which inhabit only the tropics. The tail, generally so conspicuous and important, is absent in one species — the Koala , 
but in all others it is well developed and of great utility, on account of its being prehensile. We arrange the genera 
as follows : — - 
Genus Phascolarctos. — Phascolarctos drier eus. Native Bear, or Koala. Teeth : — Incisors -, canines — , premolars 
— , molars — 30. Habitat- — South-east and east coast. 
i-i j 4.-4’ J 
Genus Cuscas . — Teeth : — -Incisors, canines, premolars, molars, as given above = 32 to 36. 
Tail with the basal portion only covered with hair ; ears short, almost hidden by the fur of the head ; 
eyes with a vertical, or nearly vertical pupil, 
1. Guscus maculata. Spotted Phalanger. Habitat— North Australia, Amboyna, Waigiou, Banda, and New 
Guinea. 
2. Cuscus brevicaudatus. Short-tailed Phalanger. Habitat — North Australia, Port Albany, 
Genus Phalangista .- — Tail completely covered with hair above. Ears of moderate length. Teeth from 32 to 
36 in number. 
1. Phalangista coohii. Cook’s Phalanger. Ngd-ra - — aborigines of Perth, West Australia. Ngorh — aborigines 
of King George’s Sound. Plabitat — The Phalanger of Cook (the first ever discovered in Australia) 
is restricted to the east and north-east, and does not occur in West Australia, as implied by the 
above aboriginal names. Mr. Gould, or rather Mr. Gilbert, probably refers to the Viverrine Phalanger, 
which is found on the West Coast. 
2. Phalangista viverrina. Ring-tail Phalanger. Habitat— New South Wales (east of the coast range), 
Victoria, South and West Australia, Tasmania. The fur in this species is not red, as in Cook’s Phalanger, 
but either grey or almost black. In young animals from West Australia the tip of the tail is red instead 
of white. 
3. Phalangista laniginosa. Woolly Phalanger. Habitat — New South Wales, the Upper Hunter. This 
species from the Hunter is rare in collections, and may probably turn out to be a variety of Phalan- 
gista coohii. The fur is certainly more wo oil}', but without the examination of the skull no decision can 
be arrived at. 
Genus Petaurista. 
This genus is represented by a single species— the Petaurista taguanoides, or Great Flying Phalanger. 
Teeth : — Incisors -, canines — , premolars — , molars — , — 40 teeth. The skull and teeth of this species 
closely resemble the Viverrine and Cook’s Phalanger, so much so that it is difficult even for an experienced 
anatomist to distinguish between the two when he has nothing but the teeth to go by. The skull of the 
Petaurista is, however, slightly shorter and more flattened. Only one species is known, which varies much, 
from creamy-white to spotted black and white and perfect black ; beneath, the fur is always white. 
Plabitat — New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. This animal does not occur on the plains of the 
interior, and is restricted to the hilly country near the coast. 
Genus Belideus. 
There are a few characteristics by which the two genera of Petaurus and Belideus can at once be 
distinguished, and these are, more than anything else, the skull and teeth, so often overlooked even by what 
are considered standard authors. The skull of the Belideus flaviv enter, which must be accepted as the type of 
the genus, is rounded, with large brain-case. (The skull of the Petaurista is flat, and contracted between the 
orbits.) The teeth (molars) are much smaller, not ridged, and they diminish from the first to the last ; the 
lower incisors are of a totally different structure, considerably curved, and not scooped out as the teeth of 
Petaurista, which animals move their mandibles like the Kangaroos. The teeth are : — Incisors -, canines 
— , premolars — , molars — 40. The genus comprises the following four species (a fifth, enumerated by 
some authors as Belideus notatus is a simple B. breviceps, which often occurs with a white tip to the tail) : — 
1. Belideus Jlaviventer. Yellow-bellied Flying Phalanger. General colour greyish-brown; beneath, white or 
yellow-white, sometimes even bright yellow. Habitat — New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, — 
in particular the coast districts. 
