Cuscus (/ˈkʌskʌs/ or /ˈkuːskuːs/) is the common name generally given to the species within the four genera of Australasian possum[1] of the family Phalangeridae with the most tropical distribution:
The name comes from the word kusu or kuso in some local related languages spoken in the Maluku Islands like Bacan and Ambonese Malay,[2] it is also applied in parts of Indonesia to the Sunda slow loris, where people do not distinguish this from the "kuskus" possums. Note however, that the loris, being a primate, is unrelated to the other cuscus species. Cuscus are marsupials, even though they have some appearances, traits and attributes like those of lemurs of Madagascar, which are prosimians,[3] due to convergent evolution.
