Matschie's Tree-kangaroo
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| Dendrolagus matschiei Förster & Rothschild, 1907 |
Matschie's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), also known as the Huon Tree-kangaroo belongs to the family Macropodidae, which includes about 55 species of kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives. It also belongs to the genus Dendrolagus, which includes around 10 species of tree-kangaroo. This species lives in the Huon Peninsula of North Eastern New Guinea. Under the IUCN classification, Matschie's Tree-kangaroo is Endangered.
The scientific name honours German biologist Paul Matschie.
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[edit] Physical description
With a body and head length of 20 to 32 inches, Matschie's Tree-kangaroo are much smaller than Australia's well-known red kangaroo.[3] An adult male weighs between 20 and 25 lb (9–11 kg). An adult female weighs between 15 and 20 lb (7–9 kg)
There is no particular season in which they breed. Gestation lasts 32 days and joeys of captive bred individuals leave the pouch after 13 ½ months. The average life span of the Matschie's Tree-kangaroo in the wild is unknown, but is at least 14 years. The life span of the kangaroo in a zoo is about 20 years.
[edit] Ecology and behaviour
Matschie's Tree-kangaroo lives in the mountainous rainforests at elevations of between 1000 and 3300 m. The kangaroo tends to live either alone or with very small groups, usually comprising of just a mother, joey and a male. They spend most of their time in the trees and come down occasionally to feed. They are very adept at hopping and can leap up to 30 feet (9 m).
Instead of sweating, Matschie's Tree-kangaroo licks its forearms and allows the evaporation to help cool its body.
In the wild it will usually feed on leaves, fruits and mosses. When kept in zoos, it feeds on apples, carrots, yams, corn on the cob, celery, kale/romaine, high fibre monkey biscuits, tofu, hard boiled eggs, various types of browse (elm, willow, etc.)
[edit] References
- ^ 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, 60. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Dendrolagus matschiei. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN A1ac v2.3)
- ^ Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, Dendrolagus matschiei. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Conservation and Research Center (n.d.). Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
