Weyland Ringtail Possums (Pseudochirulus caroli) in the Weyland Mountains of Papua, Indonesia

The east-to-west-running Central Highlands cut through the rugged interiors of both Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. To the south of the Central Cordillera, the Weyland Mountains dominate west-central Papua Indonesia. They exhibit a prevailing surface geology of:

• Limestone;
• Sandstone;
• Volcanics.

Their geography favors hills, mountains, plateaus, and valleys. They have as a politico-administrative address the Paniai division of the Indonesian province of Papua (Irian Jaya).  They include the photogenic Menoo valley and its picturesque Mount Kunupi. At an elevation of 6,003.94 feet (1,830 meters), Kunupi is the location of the Weyland ringtail possum specimens collected by Carl Brenders Pratt, as:

• Brother of Felix Brenders Pratt;
• Son of Antwerp Edgar Pratt (1850 - 1920).

The first official descriptions of the Pratt specimens come from Millbrook-born British zoologist Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (February 21, 1858 – June 16, 1929), as:

• Author of 1,000+ publications;
• Identifier of 2,000+ specimens;
• Mammalogist at the Natural History Museum.

They depict Weyland ringtails as classifiable into two subspecies:

• The nominate described in 1921 and nowadays identified as Pseudochirulus caroli caroli;
• The second described in 1922 and presently named Pseudochirulus caroli versteegi.

But it is possible that Oldfield’s identifications need to include disjunct populations. Weyland-dwelling ringtails in Bokondini, Baliem Valley may constitute:

• Another subspecies;
• Distinct species, per mammalogist Kristofer M. Helgen in 2007;
• Existing subspecies, per mammalogist Timothy Flannery in 1995.

Home ranges and physical features slightly differentiate subspecies. But all Weyland ringtails exhibit:

• Big toes and thumbs respectively opposable to rear- and fore-paw digits;
• Furry-based, prehensile (“grasping”) tail ring-curling into a hairlessly white tip;
• Light brown limbs and paws;
• Light grey-brown upper-coloring;
• Mottled dark, white, yellow under-coloring;
• Thick, woolly-soft fur.

They follow year-round breeding cycles which peak in April and May. Their life cycle is organized around maternally-dominated raising of yearly litters of 1 – 2 newborns. All newborns must:

• Crawl from birth canals to maternal pouches;
• Learn foraging and foraying while clinging to maternal backs at age 4 – 5 months;
• Leave maternal nests with physical and sexual maturity.

Weyland ringtails attain adulthood with:

• Dental formulas: 6 incisors, 2 canines, 6 premolars, and 8 molars and of 4 incisors, 6 premolars, and 8 molars respectively distributed evenly per upper and lower jaws;
• Head-and-body lengths: 6.4 – 12.6 inches (16.26 – 32.0 centimeters);
• Tail lengths: 6.7 – 15.8 inches (17.02 – 40.13 centimeters);
• Weights: 15.52 ounces (440 grams).

They avoid predatory, rival conflicts by:

• Communicating through body language and scent rather than sound;
• Consuming bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, and small arthropods;
• Moving through the trees rather than over the ground;
• Recycling feces to maximize nutrition, sanitation and security and minimize travel-time.

They inhabit:

• Nests of shredded bark and leaves;
• Tree hollows.

Scientists therefore consider Weyland ringtails arboreal, nocturnal marsupials that:

• Favor life in the trees rather than on the ground;
• Prefer nightly exercising, hunting and mating;
• Raise newborns in frontally-opening pouches.

They designate Weyland ringtails as denizens of:

• Brushlands;
• Hill and montane tropical forests;
• Rain and sclerophyll (“hard leaf”) forests;
• Woodlands.

They know Weyland ringtail possums from:

• Museum collections;
• Official descriptions;
• Village anecdotes.

They look to just four localities west of the Star Mountains as historically-proven sources of specimens even though they hypothesize broad home ranges and wide geographical distribution throughout Weyland Mountain elevations from coastal lowland interfaces at sea level to altitudes of 7,217.85 feet (2,200 meters).

The rareness of a Weyland ringtail sighting acts as a blessing and a curse. It attests to the Weyland ringtail’s expertise in avoiding interactions and eluding predators. But it also frustrates accurate assessments of:

• Environmental challenges;
• Population sustainability.

It is somewhat ironic that ambiguity reigns since Weyland ringtail habitats coincide with such protected areas as:

• Lorentz National Park;
• Wardamen Strict Nature Reserve;
• Weyland Mountain Strict Nature Reserve.

Protected areas theoretically operate to:

• Conserve and preserve resources and wildlife;
• Facilitate scientific research;
• Soften the impact of modernity.

But they also protect native peoples who prey upon Weyland ringtails for:

• Celebratory meat;
• Ceremonial attire;
• Practical clothing and instruments.

High slopes and thick vegetation epitomize Earth's persisting enigmas. They exist throughout New Guinea. One of the many mysteries within the world's fourth-largest island's borders is the enigma of sylvan animals and plants specific to the Weyland Mountains' remote, towering, woody slopes. As a case in point, scientists know that Weyland ringtails are:

• Elusive of predatory raptors and reptiles;
• Mysterious in life cycles and natural histories;
• Neighbors of D’Albertis’ ringtails (Pseudochirops albertisii);
• Stressed by agro-industrialism, globally-warmed climate change, mining, and over-hunting.

Both non-specialists and specialists relish the challenge of mysteries and their resolutions. They understand that Weyland ringtail sustainability is realizable through:

• Environmentally-friendly policies;
• New Guinea pride in the entire island;
• Protected areas;
• Scientific research;
• Visitor support.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Distribution data from IUCN Red List: Chermundy/IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, species assessors and the authors of the spatial data, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Weyland_Ringtail_Possum_area.png

oil on canvas by John Ernest Breun (1862-1921): Kristofer M. Helgen, Roberto Portela Miguez, James Kohen, Lauren Helgen/ZooKeys, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Michael_Rogers_Oldfield_Thomas_-_ZooKeys-255-103-g003-bottom_right.jpeg; via Pensoft Publishers / ZooKeys @ https://zookeys.pensoft.net/showimg.php?filename=oo_25946.jpg

traditional huts in Ikenem, village southeast of Wamena, Bailem Valley's main town and capital of Papua Province's Jayawijaya Regency; Sep. 3, 2017, photo: Lasthib, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20170903_Papouasie_Baliem_valley_15.jpg

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