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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.
Physical description Matschie's Tree-kangaroo is around 37-73 inches (about 94-181 cm) tall. An adult male weighs between 20-25 lb. (9.1-11.4 kg). An adult female weighs between 15-20 lb. (6.8-9.1 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. Ecology and behaviour Matschie's Tree-kangaroo lives in the mountainous rainforests at elevations of between 1000 - 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. 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.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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