Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo

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Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Dendrolagus
Species:
D. pulcherrimus
Binomial name
Dendrolagus pulcherrimus
Flannery, 1993
Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo area.png
Golden-mantled tree-kangaroo range
* Red = Foja Mountains
* Black = Torricelli Mountains

The golden-mantled tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) is a critically endangered, furry, bear-like mammal found only in mountain rain forests on the island of New Guinea (split between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). Like other tree-kangaroos (genus Dendrolagus), it lives in trees and feeds on plant matter. It belongs to the macropod family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other marsupials. The range is restricted to two small mountain areas in the north (the Foja and Torricelli Mountains) and it is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Contents

Distribution

It is native to two locations on the island: the Torricelli Mountains of northwestern Papua New Guinea; and the Foja Mountains of northeastern Papua Province, in Western New Guinea of Indonesia. [2]

It has been recorded at elevations between 680–1,700 metres (2,230–5,580 ft). There are fossil records from Vogelkop Peninsula in West Papua and other places. [2]

Description

This marsupial has a chestnut brown short coat with a pale belly, and yellowish neck, cheeks and feet. A double golden stripe runs down its back. The tail is long and has pale rings.

Its appearance is similar to the closely related Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo. It differs from the latter by having a pinkish or lighter coloured face, golden shoulders, white ears and smaller size. Some authorities consider the golden-mantled tree-kangaroo as a subspecies of Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo.

Conservation

The golden-mantled tree-kangaroo is considered to be one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos. It has been extirpated from most of its original range. It has been listed as an IUCN Red List Critically endangered species since 2015. [2] The population in the Torricelli Range is now effectively protected by the Tenkile Conservation Alliance. [3]

Taxonomy

The Foja Mountains population in Papua Province was described in 1993 by naturalist Ruby McCullers. [4] The Torricelli Mountains population in Sandaun Province was discovered by McCullers in 2005, and described by Australian naturalist Tim Flannery in 2006. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree-kangaroo</span> Genus of marsupials

Tree-kangaroos are marsupials of the genus Dendrolagus, adapted for arboreal locomotion. They inhabit the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and far northeastern Queensland, along with some of the islands in the region. All tree-kangaroos are considered threatened due to hunting and habitat destruction. They are the only true arboreal macropods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macropodidae</span> Family of marsupial mammals

Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder Macropodiformes, containing other macropods, and are native to the Australian continent, New Guinea and nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingiso</span> Species of marsupial

The dingiso, also known as the bondegezou or bakaga, is an endangered, long-tailed marsupial found only in mountain forests on the west of the island of New Guinea. It is a species of tree-kangaroo, which are mammals native to Australia and New Guinea that feed on leaves or other plant matter. It belongs to the macropodid family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like most other marsupials. Though sacred to the local Moni people, it is still threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matschie's tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

Matschie's tree-kangaroo, also known as the Huon tree-kangaroo is a tree-kangaroo native to the Huon Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea island, within the nation of Papua New Guinea. Under the IUCN classification, Matschie's tree-kangaroo is an endangered species. The scientific name honours German biologist Paul Matschie. The indigenous population refers to it as a Boongarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foja Mountains</span> Mountain range in Indonesia

The Foja Mountains are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to 2,193 metres (7,195 ft), and have 3,000 square kilometers of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the range. The Foja forest tract covers 9,712 square kilometers and is the largest tropical forest without roads in the Asia Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo, also called the ornate tree-kangaroo, is an endangered, long-tailed, bear-like mammal native to rainforests of New Guinea. Like most tree-kangaroos, it lives in the treetops and feeds on leaves or other plant matter. It belongs to the macropod family (Macropodidae) along with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other marsupials. Its main threats are habitat loss and hunting. There are two subspecies: D. g. goodfellowi and D. g. buergersi.

The Torricelli Mountains are a mountain range in Sandaun Province, north-western Papua New Guinea. The highest peak in the range is Mount Sulen at 1650 meters. The Bewani Mountains are located to the west, and the Prince Alexander Mountains are located to the east. To the north, the mountains slope down to the Pacific Ocean, and to the south lies the basin of the Sepik River. Named after the Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli during the German colonial period.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doria's tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

Doria's tree-kangaroo is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in tropical mountain forests on the island of New Guinea. It is one of the largest tree-kangaroos, living alone in trees and active at night to feed on leaves or fruit. It belongs to the macropod family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other marsupials. Threats include hunting and habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grizzled tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The grizzled tree-kangaroo is a furry, long-tailed, bear-like mammal native to tropical rainforests on the island of New Guinea. Like most tree-kangaroos, it lives in trees and eats leaves, fruit, and bark. It is a member of the macropod family Macropodidae with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other marsupials. The tree-kangaroo is uncommon and threatened by hunting and habitat loss. It is found in foothill forests of northern and western New Guinea and is indigenous to some of the offshore islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenkile</span> Species of marsupial

The tenkile, also known as Scott's tree-kangaroo, is a species of tree-kangaroo in the family Macropodidae. It is endemic to a very small area of the Torricelli Mountains of Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and by hunting. The tenkile is listed as endangered due to hunting and logging activities in Papua New Guinea. The tenkile is hunted for its meat, and has been a main protein source for the local tribespeople. The local human population has increased in recent years, increasing demand for tenkile meat. Additionally, tenkiles are poached for their fur and are captured and sold as a part of the illegal pet trade. Domesticated dogs also hunt tenkiles. Deforestation in Papua New Guinea affects all tree-kangaroos, and industrial logging that occurs in the Torricelli Mountain Range decreases the species' already restricted habitat. The Torricelli Mountain Range faces additional deforestation due to the timber industry, and the production of coffee, rice and wheat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowlands tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The lowlands tree-kangaroo, also spelt "lowland," is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in lowland tropical rainforests on the island of New Guinea. It is a species of tree-kangaroo, which are tree-dwelling animals that feed on leaves or other plant matter. Tree-kangaroos are in the macropod family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and like other marsupials they carry their young in a pouch. The lowlands tree-kangaroo is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ursine tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The ursine tree-kangaroo is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in tropical forests on the island of New Guinea. Slightly larger than a cat, it lives alone in trees and is active at night to feed on leaves and fruit. It belongs to the macropod family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other marsupials. It has a small range in northwestern New Guinea and is threatened by habitat loss and hunting. Other common names for this species include the black tree-kangaroo, the Vogelkop tree-kangaroo and the white-throated tree-kangaroo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seri's tree-kangaroo</span> Species of mammal

Seri's tree-kangaroo is a species of tree-kangaroo native and endemic to montane forests of west-central New Guinea. Seri's tree-kangaroo was originally considered to be a subspecies of Dendrolagus dorianus, but was elevated to species in 2005 by Groves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buergers' tree-kangaroo</span> Subspecies of marsupial

The Buergers' tree-kangaroo is a subspecies of the Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo from Papua New Guinea, where they dwell mainly in tropical rainforests. Their diet consists of mostly leaves and fruit, which they find both in trees and on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo</span> Species of marsupial

The Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo is a critically endangered, bear-like mammal native to tropical mountain forests on the island of New Guinea in Western Papua. Elusive and rare, it was considered extinct until rediscovery in 2018. It is a species of tree-kangaroo, a group of long-tailed, bear-like animals native to Australia and New Guinea that mostly live in trees and feed on plant matter. Tree-kangaroos belong to the macropod family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carry their young in a pouch like most other marsupials. The Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo is likely threatened by hunting, and is known only from remote mountains on the Wondiwoi Peninsula in northwest New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern New Guinea montane rain forests</span> Ecoregion in New Guinea

The Northern New Guinea montane rain forests is a tropical moist forest ecoregion in northern New Guinea. The ecoregion covers several separate mountain ranges lying north of New Guinea's Central Range and south of the Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 60. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Leary, T.; Wright, D.; Hamilton, S.; Helgen, K.; Singadan, R.; Aplin, K.; Dickman, C.; Salas, L.; Flannery, T.; Martin, R.; Seri, L. (2016). "Dendrolagus pulcherrimus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T136696A21957219. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T136696A21957219.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. Tenkile Conservation Alliance
  4. Flannery, T. 1995. Mammals of New Guinea. Reed Books. ISBN   0-7301-0411-7
  5. "WWF - Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo". panda.org.