Ecology and behavior Matschie's tree-kangaroo

1 ecology , behavior

1.1 range
1.2 diet
1.3 reproduction

ecology , behavior

young kangaroo



matschie s tree-kangaroo skeleton on display @ museum of osteology, oklahoma city, oklahoma.

matschie s tree-kangaroo lives in mountainous rainforests @ elevations of between 1,000 , 3,000 metres (3,300 , 9,800 ft). kangaroo tends live either alone or small groups, composed of female, joey, , male. spend of time in trees , come down feed. adept @ hopping , can leap 30 feet (9 m).

instead of sweating, matschie s tree-kangaroo licks forearms , allows evaporation cool body.

in wild, feed on leaves, fruits , mosses. when kept in zoos, feeds on apples, carrots, yams, corn on cob, celery, kale/romaine, high fiber monkey biscuits, tofu, hard boiled eggs, , various types of tree boughs (elm, willow, etc.)

in wild, researchers have found matschies’ live alone or in small assemblies, containing maybe mother , offspring , 1 male. of time, groups have sex ratio of 1:1. matschie’s tree-kangaroos closely related dendrolagus goodfellowi, goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo, once considered subspecies of matschie’s tree-kangaroos. matschies’ appear scared of humans because scramble around when humans nearby , difficult find in forests. spend 14 15 hours of days sleeping , resting. matschie’s tree-kangaroos known defending home territory , marking boundaries.

when temperature of environment drastically changes @ different times of year, able maintain moderate body temperature because of metabolic rate. matschies’ have been found susceptible mycobacterial infections; however, infections not seem contagious because individuals around infected kangaroos not appear infection. seems avium complex related tuberculosis, scientists still unsure of how spreads.

range

matschie’s tree-kangaroos restricted huon peninsula of papua new guinea, subdivision of tumbanan faunal province, , tree-kangaroos found there. residents on island of umboi, off coast of papua new guinea. however, scientists believe tree-kangaroos introduced onto island , not found there. matschies’ prefer live in deciduous forests , tropical rainforests because remain in trees of days. live in northeast interior of new guinea , home range sizes consists of 25 hectares of area.

diet

the matschie’s tree-kangaroos folivorous, eating leaves, sap, insects, flowers, , nuts. found have eaten chickens in captivity feeding on variety of plants, carrots, lettuce, bananas, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, , yams. since eat high fiber foods, eat maybe 1 2 hours throughout day , other time of day resting , digesting food. digestion similar of ruminants; have large, “tubiform forestomach”, of fermentation , breakdown of tough material takes place at; in hind stomach, there mucosa lining many glands absorption begin here.

reproduction

in captivity, tree-kangaroos can budder @ time of year , known breed well. female oestrus cycle between 54.2 , 56.8 days , tree kangaroos able produce young @ 2 2.5 years of age. mating occurs when female advances on male while on ground; touch each other’s noses , click tongues. female resistant male s advances. hiss , swat @ male permit him mount within ten minutes. copulation can last sixty minutes afterwards. gestation period lasts approximately 44.2 days, known longest of marsupials. single observed captive birth occurred above ground, in branches. joeys first stick head out of pouch @ 22 weeks. first leave pouch , feed on own @ 28 weeks. joeys permanently vacate pouch @ approximately 41 weeks. matschie’s tree-kangaroos have no embryonic diapauses or delayed implantations , able pregnant joey leaves pouch. (loss of pouch young results in return estrus within 5 days.)