The Enigmatic Bear Cuscus (not Couscous)

This is something that caused me a bit of confusion, since I did not know two out of three words and messed up on one as well. Sulawesi bear cuscus? And it is not even remotely related to a bear, but kinda sorta looks like one if you squint a mite. Also, I confused it with that tasty Moroccan pasta called couscous. Sulawesi is the name of the Indonesian island where this critter primarily holds court.

Our subject is about the only Australian-style marsupial in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sulawesi bear cuscus, Wikimedia Commons / Ariefrahman (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Secular scientists find its location quite puzzling: How did it get there? Also, some evolutionists think it's travel after the Flood is a "Gotcha!" for biblical creationists. That'll be the day! Informed people know that creationists and evolutionists have the same facts to work from. The differences come from worldviews that drive how we interpret the evidence available. Sometimes we agree, like animal rafting, but with some obvious differences.

But these unusual animals that look like mixes of several others aren't exactly forthcoming with information, as they tend to keep to themselves. I wonder if they were expressions of the Creator's humor when he designed them.

What has eyes like a lemur, a furry body like a koala, a head like a possum, is often called a ‘marsupial monkey’, and shares its island home with pigs, primates and dwarf buffaloes?

The answer is the Sulawesi Bear Cuscus.

This unusual marsupial has many characteristics of a possum, but is closer in size to a tree kangaroo. It has round, yellow-rimmed eyes, a box-like snout, long limbs and large feet.

It also has a prehensile (grasping) tail, which it uses as a fifth limb to navigate its way easily through the tree canopy. The tail coils around a branch like an anchor while the front limbs secure a hold. The back limbs dangle free at first, then slowly swing forward to grasp another branch. Bear Cuscuses travel with such grace that they are sometimes referred to as the ‘slow-motion acrobats of the forest’.

For the rest of the article, click on "The Sulawesi Bear Cuscus."