Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo

Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), or the ornate tree kangaroo, is a marsupial in the biological family Macropodidae. 

The family includes kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives, and the genus Dendrolagus, with eleven species. 

The species live in the rainforests of New Guinea.Animal Info (1999-2005). Animal Info - Goodfellow's tree kangaroo. Retrieved August 3, 2006. 

In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos are listed as endangered. This is a result of too much hunting of them, and humans living too close to their habitat.Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (2006). Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo - captive breeding program . Retrieved August 3, 2006.

Description
Like most tree-kangaroos, Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos look very different from terrestrial (land) kangaroo species.Melbourne Zoo (2006). Animal Fact Sheet: Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo . Retrieved August 3, 2006. 

Unlike land-living kangaroos, their legs are not long compared to their forelimbs (arms). They are strong and end in hooked claws for grasping tree branches. Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos have long tails for balance. These physical traits help them with a mostly tree-living life. They have short, woolly fur, usually reddish-brown in color, a gray-brown face, yellow-colored cheeks and feet; pale stomachs, long, golden-brown tails, and two golden stripes on their backsides. They weigh about seven kilograms (about 15 pounds).

Behaviour

Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos are slow and clumsy on the ground.World Wildlife Fund (2006).  Tree Kangaroos. Retrieved August 3, 2006. 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). 

However, in trees, Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos are fearless and agile. They climb by wrapping their arms around the trunk of a tree and hopping with their strong back legs. 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.

Diet

Goodfellow's tree-kangaroos feed mostly on the leaves of the silkwood tree (Flindersia pimenteliana). Other foods are part of their diet when available, including different kinds of fruit, cereals, flowers and grasses.Discovery Communications Inc. (2006).  Goodfellow's tree kangaroo. Retrieved August 3, 2006. 

They have large stomachs rather like fermentation vats. They use a two-stage process like cows and related herbivores digest food. 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. This is where bacteria in the stomach's various chambers, breaks down the tough fibers of leaves and grasses.

References

Category:Macropods
Category:Mammals of Oceania