phalanger

n.

the scientific name for theanimal called an Opossum (q.v.) in Australia, andincluding also the Flying-squirrel (q.v.), and otherMarsupials. See also Flying-Phalanger. The word issometimes used instead of Opossum, where preciseaccuracy is desired, but its popular use in Australia is rare.The Phalangers are chiefly Australian, but range as far as theCelebes. The word is from the Greek phalanx, onemeaning of which is the bone between the joints of the fingersor toes. (The toes are more or less highly webbed in the Phalanger.)

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 249:

«The cry of the night-bird, the rustle of the phalangers andthe smaller marsupials, as they glided through the wiry frozengrass or climbed the clear stems of the eucalypti.»

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

«A pair of the Short-headed Phalanger ( Belideusbreviceps) occupy the next division.»

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 75:

«The second great family of the herbivorous DiprotodontMarsupials is typically represented by the creatures properlyknown as phalangers, which the colonists of Australia persistin misnaming opossums. It includes however several otherforms, such as the Flying-Phalangers [q.v.] and the Koala[q.v.].»