Tree-Kangaroo surprises the world with Ability to Live Comfortably in the Trees
The famous kangaroo is Australia’s national animal, yet you probably haven’t heard of a tree-kangaroo before.
They are pretty similar to regular kangaroos, other than being super fluffy and often mistaken for small bears.
Found in the mountainous and lowland forests of northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
Little is known about these elusive creatures, they have adapted to live comfortably in the trees.
They evolved to have stronger forelimbs for climbing and shorter legs, giving them an appearance similar to the lemur.
Tree kangaroos live high up in the mountains, in cloud forests at elevations between 4,000 feet (about 1,000 meters) and 11,000 ft (about 3,500 m). They spend most of their time in trees, and are capable of jumping from heights of 60 feet to the forest floor without hurting themselves!
The tree-kangaroos are so rare and beautiful, that they have gained somewhat of celebrity status.
Back in 2016, the first tree-kangaroo was born in captivity for the first time in 36 years, giving hope for the species population.
In the wild, tree kangaroos will primarily eat leaves, as well as ferns, moss, tree bark, and flowers such as orchids.
In captivity, tree kangaroos diet includes romaine lettuce, swiss chard, bok choy, spinach, celery, carrots, corn cob, yams, bananas, fiber biscuits, parsley, dandelion, collards, green beans, and hard boiled eggs.
Matschie’s tree kangaroos are an endangered species with an estimated wild population of less than 2,500 individuals (IUCN 2014). Habitat destruction caused by logging and mining exploration is a danger to tree kangaroo populations.
Tree kangaroos play an important role in the culture and diet of the indigenous people, and unsustainable hunting practices threaten the survival of tree kangaroos.
