Coppery ringtail possum – Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897) – of Enga Province / Papua New Guinea – around 2800m ASL.

Pseudochirops cupreus (Thomas, 1897), the Coppery Ring-tailed Possum, is a large arboreal marsupial of the family Pseudocheiridae, endemic to the island of New Guinea. It occurs in both Indonesian New Guinea and Papua New Guinea, primarily along the Central Cordillera, where it inhabits montane forests at approximately 1,350–4,000 m above sea level and is most common above 2,500 m; at the highest elevations it may also occur in scrub and herbfield habitats. Adults measure about 36–41 cm in head–body length, with a 27–31 cm tail, and weigh approximately 1.3–2.2 kg. The species has dark coppery-brown fur and a prehensile tail whose terminal section is sparsely furred or almost naked. The specific epithet cupreus is Latin for “copper-coloured” and refers to the dark coppery pelage described by Oldfield Thomas in the original species description. It is predominantly nocturnal, leaving its daytime shelter shortly after dusk and returning before dawn. Field observations indicate that it feeds mainly on foliage: leaves constituted approximately 85–90% of the recorded diet, while the remainder consisted principally of fruit.