Monkeys aren’t the only creatures that live in trees. Tree kangeroos also live in trees high up in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. They are so elusive that the locals refer to them as “ghosts of the forest.”
They look a bit like small kangaroos and wallabies. They have such an endearing face and look almost like a plush toy animal. In this photo, they look a bit surprise that they’ve been spotted. It must be the furry yellow marking on the chest that gave it away. Photograph by Russell A. Mittermeier/Conservation International, National Geographic.
Unlike their cousins, the front and hind legs are closer in size than ground kangaroos. They also have stronger fore-limbs to help with climbing and living in trees. As for the fur, it is thick and grows in opposite direction on nap and back. This helps to shed water when it’s head is crouched.
Although there are several species that live in the lowlands too, call the Lowlands Tree Kangeroo. As tree dwellers, the tree kangaroo eats mostly leaves and fruit. And sometimes collect and eat fruits that has fallen to the ground. Tree kangaroos will also eat other items such as flowers (orchids), tree sap, eggs, baby birds, grains, and even bark.
They are a reclusive and solitary bunch, much like pandas. I hope the natives learn to protect these animals since they are an endangered. And who would eat a creature with such a cute face!
Photo from Green Expander 20 New Species of 2005. I can see why it’s call the golden-mantled tree kangaroo from looking at those golden markings. It also looks like it spooked out here.
The golden-mantled tree kangaroo was discovered in December 2005 by a team of Indonesian, Australian, and U.S. scientists, in the Foya Mountains, in the Papua proivince. Currently, ten species are recognized in the group, nearly all of which are threatened by habitat loss or hunting. The golden-mantled tree kangaroo is considered as one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos, being extinct in most of its original range.
Lisa Dabek, Director of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, has been studying tree kangeroos for 20 years. Dabek commented on ABC news, “We have no idea what they do on top on the canopy — so we want to see what plants they eat, what they’re doing up there, so we’re basically getting a window into her world.”
Other info about tree kangaroos (compiled from the Oregon Zoo):
Lifespan: up to 14 years in captivity
Mating: no defined breeding season, females cycle every 51to 79 days
Gestation: 39 to 46 days, longest of any marsupial
Birth: usually one joey (about 1 inch at birth)
• female isolates herself before birth
• Birth position - sitting on base of tail with tail between legs
• Takes 2 minutes for joey to crawl to the pouch
• pouch contains 4 mammae
• joey attaches to nipple for 90 to 100 days, at 250 days joey looks out, at 300 leaves pouch for first time, at 350 leaves pouch permanently
• long pouch life compared to other kangaroos
If you are in Nebraska, you can visit a family of tree kangeroos at the Lincoln Zoo. Milla and her mate Noru just had twins too!
