Matschie's Tree Kangaroo

scientific name

Dendrolagus matschiei

characteristics

Body Length: 20-30 inches
Tail Length: 17-36 inches
Weight: males 15 lbs.; females to 17 lbs.

adaptations/coloration

Color: Chestnut to red brown with bright red bellies, ear edges and feet
* Faces are yellow and white * Dark stripe down back
Body: Stocky;shorter wider hind feet than other kangaroos
* Front and hind legs closer to same size than ground kangaroos
Tail: Long narrow - - used for balance * Does not have prehensile tail
Feet: All four feet have very heavy curved claws to aid climbing
* cushion on like pads on feet covered with roughened to help
with gripping * lack opposable thumb
Fur: Thick fur grows in opposite direction on nap and back to easily
shed water when crouched with head lower than body
Face: Large eyes and small ears

behavior

Diurnal * Solitary, except during breeding * Arboreal marsupial, only member of the kangaroo family that climbs trees * Females keep territories up to 4.5 acres, males up to 11 acres, overlapping several females * Agile climbers (more awkward than other tree roos) * Travel rapidly in trees * Can leap as much as 30 feet down to next tree * Can jump up to 60 feet without injury * Move on ground with a hobbling gait * Eat sporadically throughout the day * Sleep 60% of the day.

reproduction/life span

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

diet

Wild: primarily mature leaves, flowers, grass, fruits, nuts, insects, bark, sap, bird eggs & young birds
Zoo: fruit leaves (zoo mix, diet B, Omolene 100, corn, apples, carrots, kale, timothy hay,tea leaves for Tannin (without tea leaves they loose their rich coat color)

habitat/range

Dense tropical rainforest & deciduous forest * mountains of Huon peninsula of New Guinea * sea level to nearly 10,000 feet found nowhere else in New Guinea

status

Endangered * SSP species * 76 in captivity in North America (1996) * ~1,400 in wild * hunted for meat * habitat destruction from logging, mining, oil exploration & agriculture

oregon zoo exhibit

Tree Kangaroos

back to top