Tree-kangaroo
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 Buergers' Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi
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| Dendrolagus ursinus Müller, 1840 |
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About 12; see text. |
Tree-kangaroos are macropods adapted for life on trees. They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea, far north-eastern Queensland, and nearby islands, usually in mountainous areas.
It is understood that tree kangaroos evolved from creatures similar to modern kangaroos and wallabies, as they retain many standard macropod adaptations to life in the plains—notably the massive hind legs and long, narrow feet which allow orthodox macropods to travel fast and economically on the ground. Tree kangaroos have developed exceptionally long tails for balance, and stronger forelimbs for climbing. The feet are shorter and wider, they have longer claws on all feet, and rubbery soles for better grip. Unlike orthodox macropods, who can only move by moving both feet at the same time, tree kangaroos can move their legs independently.
The ancestors of all kangaroos are believed to have been small arboreal marsupials that looked like some of Australia's present-day possums. The earliest macropods diverged from this line when they descended to the ground and evolved bodies adapted for rapid motion over the earth and rocks. Why ancestors of the tree kangaroos at some point returned to the trees is not known.
Tree kangaroos are slow and clumsy on the ground: they move at about walking pace and hop awkwardly, leaning their body far forward to balance the heavy tail. But in trees they are bold and agile. They climb by wrapping the forelimbs around the trunk of a tree and hopping with the powerful hind legs, allowing the forelimbs to slide. They are expert leapers: 9-metre downward jumps from one tree to another have been recorded, and they have an extraordinary ability to jump to the ground from 18 metres or more without being hurt.
They feed mostly on leaves and fruit, taken both in trees and on the ground. Other morsels are accepted when available, including grain, flowers, sap, bark, eggs and young birds. Their teeth are adapted for tearing leaves rather than cutting grass. They have large stomachs that function as fermentation vats, in a manner analogous to that in eutherian ruminant herbivores, where bacteria break down fibrous leaves and grasses. Although the arrangement of the stomach compartments in kangaroos is quite different, the end result is similar.
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[edit] Species
- Grizzled Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus inustus, northern and western New Guinea, plus offshore Japen and Waigeo islands
- Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus lumholtzi, Queensland
- Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus bennettianus, Queensland
- Ursine Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus ursinus, western New Guinea
- Matschie's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus matschiei, eastern New Guinea
- Doria's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus dorianus, far western, central, and southeastern New Guinea
- Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus goodfellowi, central New Guinea
- Buergers' Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus goodfellowi buergersi
- Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus pulcherrimus, Foja mountains, western New Guinea
- Lowlands Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus spadix, lowlands New Guinea
- Seri's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus stellarum
- Dingiso, Dendrolagus mbaiso, western New Guinea
- Tenkile, Dendrolagus scottae, northern New Guinea
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Flannery, Timothy Fridtjof, et al. 1996. Tree Kangaroos: A Curious Natural History. Reed Books, Melbourne. ISBN 0-7301-0492-3
- Scientists hail discovery of hundreds of new species in remote New Guinea, The Independent, 7th February 2006 [1]
- Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 59-61. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
[edit] External links
