Why are matschies tree kangaroo endangered

The oldest known tree kangaroo is 27 years old. In the wild, male tree kangaroos will often mate with several different females. Female tree kangaroos have a gestation period of only 44 days. When the underdeveloped, kidney-bean-sized joey is born, it crawls into the pouch where it will latch onto a teat and continue to grow for three months. The joey remains in the pouch until about 7 months.

This loss of habitat can also expose tree kangaroos to predation by domestic dogs. Priority species Tree kangaroos are a priority species. What is WWF doing? WWF's fight to ensure tree kangaroos do not become extinct focuses on the following actions: Reducing deforestation and loss of habitat caused by illegal logging, including support for FSC certified wood and wood products. Raising awareness of habitat loss and the effects of hunting Promoting and managing protected areas Reducing illegal hunting through programmes such as TRAFFIC WWF works closely with PNG's Department of Environment and Conservation DEC on its national planning framework for biodiversity strategy and action planning, ensuring the necessary resources are in place to implement sustainable use and managed protection programmes.

Traffic logo. Forest Stewardship Council. How you can help. Support WWF's efforts to preserve tree kangaroo habitat - only buy wood or wood products that come from properly managed and sustainable forests which have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council FSC. Spread the word! Click on the button to share this information with others via email or your favourite social networking service.

Did you know? Please Donate Our work is only possible with your support. During the final phase, the young still nurses but never climbs completely into the pouch. Young tree kangaroos are weaned when they are approximately 13 months old. They stay with their mothers until they are about 18 months old, when they disperse and establish a home range. Little is known about the social behavior of wild tree kangaroos. Researchers believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are fairly solitary animals.

Females and males have non-overlapping home ranges, but a male's range will overlap several females' range. Researchers also believe that Matschie's tree kangaroos are polygamous and that males interact with several females.

Males, however, appear not to establish harems, and females remain independent. The only strong social bond these animals form is between mother and offspring. In captivity, if females are isolated from all other animals after becoming pregnant, offspring almost always survive.

These observations show that Matschie's tree kangaroos are mostly solitary animals. All rights reserved. Common Name: Matschie's Tree Kangaroo. Scientific Name: Dendrolagus matschiei. Tree kangaroos always back down trees, unlike opossums which can go down head first. They frequently descend to the ground by leaping. The tail, which is arched upward, serves as a counterbalance.

They can jump down as much as 18 meters without injury. They move on the ground with a hobbling gait and can speed up by hopping to 4. Dendrolagus matschiei are solitary except during breeding and tend to ignore one another even when sharing the same tree. Females do not share territories. Territory size of females averages 4.

Larger territories increase breeding opportunities for males. Matschiei's tree kangaroos use their vision, touch, smell, and hearing to perceive their environment. Communication occurs by visual display, touch, some vocalization, and, most importantly, through chemical cues.

Dendrolagus matschiei are almost exclusively folivorous and prefer mature leaves. Although D. Tree kangaroos eat sporadically throughout the day for an average of minutes every four hours. The remainder of their diet consists of wild fruits, flowers, nuts, insects, bark, sap, bird eggs, and young birds. In captivity, D. Because large quantities of fresh leaves which are high in tannin are not easily obtained by most zoos, the diet is usually supplemented with tea leaves.

Without the supplement, captive tree kangaroos tend to lose the rich color of their coats. Hard-boiled eggs and occasional chicks are also offered. Predation on D. They are hunted by humans and perhaps large birds of prey.

These tree kangaroos avoid predation largely by seeking refuge in trees. This tree kangaroo's consumption of mature leaves has little effect on the canopy given the current population size.

The occasional consumption of young domestic birds is not frequent enough to have any ecosystem impact. Internationally, this species of tree kangaroo is valued in zoos as a brilliantly colored unusual kangaroo.

Locally, it is hunted as a food source. Procter-Gray There are no adverse affects of D. Rainforest clearing and hunting are the main threats. Dendrolagus matschiei is the focus of a Species Survival Plan organized by international zoos. This plan focuses on habitat preservation and field studies while at the same time maintaining and studying the large captive population to learn more about tree kangaroo biology.

Education is also stressed in an attempt to reduce the joint pressures of rainforest destruction and hunting. Dendrolagus comes from the Greek word dendron, meaning tree, and lagos, meaning hare.

Dendrolagus matschiei was named after the German zoologist Paul Matschie, who discovered several other species of tree kangaroo.