Trichosurus vulpecula
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English: Brush-tailed phalanger
German: Fuchskusu
French: Phalanger-renard
Spanish: Zorro kusu
Distribution areas
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The brush-tailed phalanger, the only
known variety of gnus Trichosurus, is found
in wooded areas of Australia, Tasmania, New
Zealand and on other islands south of
Australia.
Description of the fur The surface structure
---------------------- of the skin, 200x
The skins are from 40 to 60 long. The
hair coat is red-brown or brown and, on the belly, yellow-white in colour.
The guard hairs are from 20 to 40 mm long and brown in colour with black tips.
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Trichosurus vulpecula
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English: Brush-tailed phalanger
German: Fuchskusu
French: Phalanger-renard
Spanish: Zorro kusu
Structure of the hair
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The microscopic structure of the skin
surface is usually regularly grooved with
narrow straight-edged hair follicles. The
average follicle contains 3 or more hair
shafts.
The fine fur fibres are circular in The cuticular structure
cross-section, with a diameter of 10 to 20 of the fine fibres, 1000x
µm. The cuticular scales are either
cornet-like or petal-like with a smooth or non-regular grooved surface and
straight scale margins. The medullar column is wide, unbroken and central
symmetrical-shaped. The overall medullar structure belongs to the uniserial
ladder type with an amorphous infilling substance.
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Trichosurus vulpecula
---------------------
English: Brush-tailed phalanger
German: Fuchskusu
French: Phalanger-renard
Spanish: Zorro kusu
The intermediate fibres have a diameter
of 25 to 40 µm; the cross-section is
circular or ellipsoidal in outline. The
cuticular scales are wavelike with a smooth
surface and straight scale margins. The
medulla is narrow, unbroken and central
symmetrical-shaped in cross-section. The
overall structure of the medulla belongs to
the fractured uniserial ladder type with an A group of hairs of the fine
amorphous infilling material. and guard type, 1000x
The guard hairs also have a circular or ellipsoidal cross-sectional
outline with a diameter of 50 to 70 µm. The cuticular scales are of the even
tile-like type with a smooth surface and straight margins. The medullar
column is either narrow, mainly at the bottom of the shaft, and of the
fractured uniserial ladder type, or wide and of the tubular type. The medulla
is unbroken and central symmetrical-shaped, with an amorphous or foam-like
infilling material.
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Trichosurus vulpecula
---------------------
English: Brush-tailed phalanger
German: Fuchskusu
French: Phalanger-renard
Spanish: Zorro kusu
The cuticular structure
of an intermediate hair, 1000x
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Trichosurus vulpecula
---------------------
English: Brush-tailed phalanger
German: Fuchskusu
French: Phalanger-renard
Spanish: Zorro kusu
Longitudinal section
of a guard hair, 1000x
Numerical code for brush-tailed phalanger skin structure
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Surface of the skin: 2-4-3
Fine fur fibres: 1-5.11-1.3-1-2-1-1-1-8-10.21-6.15
Intermediate fibres: 2.1-7-1-1-3-1-1-3-5.8-25.41-14.35
Guard hairs: 2.1-2-1-1-3.2-1-1-3.12-8.5-50.71-25.41
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