cus·cus 
(kŭskəs)
(kŭskəs)n.
Any of several nocturnal marsupials of the family Phalangeridae of New Guinea, Australia, and adjacent islands, having large eyes, small ears, a pointed snout, and a long prehensile tail.
[New Latin Cuscus, former genus name, ultimately (probably via Dutch koeskoes) from a local word for the marsupials in a language of the Moluccas.]