Tous (mammal)

Common card · No. 462673

Tous is a genus of marsupial in the family Pseudocheiridae endemic to New Guinea and Australia. It contains two named species, the ring-tailed glider T. ayamaruensis (the type species) and T. stirtoni, both of which were originally described entirely based on fossils and presumed to be extinct. In the years following 2015, multiple sightings of T. ayamaruensis indicated it is still alive, making it a Lazarus species. Tous is characterized by the unique combination of both a strongly prehensile tail (also known in Hemibelideus) and a well-developed patagium (gliding membrane; also known in Petauroides). It is further distinguished from its closest relatives in the subfamily Hemibelideinae by its very small size, naked ears, ear ring, and non-bushy, tapering tail. The genus Tous was described in 2026 by biologists Tim Flannery and Kristofer M. Helgen in a co-authored, collaborative paper with several other scientists. The scientists acknowledged the role of traditional landowners and their...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Arman Muharmansyah in Flannery et al. (2026), CC BY 4.0