Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo
| Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo[1] | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Family: | Macropodidae |
| Genus: | Dendrolagus |
| Species: | D. goodfellowi |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrolagus goodfellowi Thomas Oldfield, 1908 |
|
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), also called the Ornate Tree Kangaroo, is an animal in the biological family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives,[3] and the genus Dendrolagus, with eleven other species.[1] The species live in the rainforests of New Guinea, and the border of central Irian Jaya in Indonesia.[4] In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos are listed as endangered.[2] This is a result of too much hunting of them, and humans living too close to their habitat.[5]
Contents |
Description [change]
Like most tree-kangaroos, Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos are very different looking from terrestrial (land) Kangaroo species.[6] Unlike land living kangaroos, their legs are not very large compared to their forelimbs (arms), which are strong and end in hooked claws for grasping tree branches.[6] Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos have long tails for balance.[6] These physical traits help them with a mostly tree-living life.[6] They have short, woolly fur,[6] usually reddish-brown in color, a gray-brown face, yellow-colored cheeks and feet; pale stomachs,[7] long, golden-brown tails, and two golden stripes on their backsides.[8] They weigh about 7 kilograms (about 15 pounds).[4]
Behaviour [change]
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos are slow and clumsy on the ground.[8] They move at about the speed a human walks and do not hop well (hopping is something that, by contrast, terrestrial kangaroos are famed for).[8] However, in trees, Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos are fearless and agile.[8] They climb by wrapping their arms around the trunk of a tree and hopping with their strong back legs.[8] This allows their arms to slide. They have very good jumping ability and can jump from trees to the ground from thirty feet up without hurting themselves.[8]
Diet [change]
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos feed mostly on the leaves of the silkwood tree (Flindersia pimenteliana).[9] Other foods are part of their diet when available, including different kinds of fruit, cereals, flowers and grasses.[7] They have large stomachs that they use similar to fermentation vats, much the way the stomachs of cows and related herbivores digest food.[10] First the food is softened in one part of their stomach, and then by passing the material back up and chewing it again, they can return it to a second part of their stomach.[11] This is where bacteria in the stomach's various chambers, breaks down the tough fibers of leaves and grasses.[10]
References [change]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 59-60. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Leary, T., Seri, L., Wright, D., Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., Singadan, R., Menzies, J., Allison, A., James, R., Dickman, C., Aplin, K., Flannery, T., Martin, R. & Salas, L. (2008). Dendrolagus goodfellowi. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 28 December 2008. Database entry includes reason why this species is listed as endangered
- ↑ Myers, P. (2001). "Macropodidae". Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macropodidae.html. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Animal Info (1999-2005). Animal Info - Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ↑ Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (2006). Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo - captive breeding program. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Melbourne Zoo (2006). Animal Fact Sheet: Goodfellow's Tree-Kangaroo. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Discovery Communications Inc. (2006). Goodfellow's tree kangaroo. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 World Wildlife Fund (2006). Tree Kangaroos. Retrieved August 3, 2006.
- ↑ "Goodfellow's tree kangaroo". Funk & Wagnalls Wildlife Encyclopedia 20. (1974). New York, N.Y.: Funk and Wagnalls. pg 2397.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Johnson, S. (1999). "Dendrolagus goodfellowi". Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dendrolagus_goodfellowi.html. Retrieved 2006-08-03.
- ↑ Van Loon, Dirk (1976). The family cow. Storey Publishing. pp. 95-97. ISBN 978-0-88266-066-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=j-efZMh9_WgC&pg=PA95.
