I am a zoologist by training and thought it would be fun to do a virtual zoo (the world is doing everything virtually right now, thanks to COVID-19). This cache is the next in the series and is sponsored by the letter G.
Phalanger gymnotis is a ground cuscus. What's that, you say? A ground cuscus (not cous cous) is a possom from Paupau New Guinea, with very thick short fur that is somewhat oily. This keeps them mostly dry in the rain forest. I cared for one named Dundee and I loved all of his unique features.
Like the opossums we are familiar with, cuscus have a long semi-prehensile tail with no fur on it. They use it for balance and to grip tree limbs as they climb. It has opposable thumbs on the hind feet, and a bifurcation between the second and third front digits to allow it to move easily within the trees and to feed in a suspensory position. It almost appears that they have two thumbs on the front because of this. On the back feet, their "pointer finger" and "middle finger" are covered in the same skin, making them seem fused and has 2 smaller claws called grooming claws, while the thumb has no claw/nail.
Being marsupials, the babies are born underdeveloped, and crawl into the mother's pouch to continue their development until they are ready to emerge.
They eat mostly plants and fruits but occasionally will eat small birds. They are arboreal and spend a lot of time in the trees but do sleep in burrows at the base of trees and are also comfortable walking on the ground. These animals are nocturnal.
The terrain on the way to GZ is a bit difficult right now due to all the wet weather we had this winter. It looks like a whole herd of deer trampled through here and sunk in the mud. It is now dry and very uneven. Watch your step and don't twist an ankle.
Here is a link to the other caches in the Zoology series.