Doria's tree-kangaroo (''Dendrolagus dorianus'') is a long-tailed, furry, bear-like mammal found only in tropical mountain forests on the island of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
(in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
). It is one of the largest tree-kangaroos (genus ''
Dendrolagus
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 a ...
''), living alone in trees and active at night to feed on leaves or fruit. It belongs to the macropod family (
Macropodidae
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 ar ...
) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like other
marsupials
Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...
. Threats include hunting and habitat loss.
Distribution
This
marsupial
Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...
is found in
montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
s of southeastern
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
island, at elevations between .
The species was named in 1883 by
Edward Pierson Ramsay
Edward Pierson Ramsay FRSEFLS LLD (3 December 1842 – 16 December 1916) was an Australian zoologist who specialised in ornithology.
Early life
Ramsay was born in Dobroyd Estate, Long Cove, Sydney, and educated at St Mark's Collegiate School, Th ...
in honour of Italian zoologist
Giacomo Doria
Marquis Giacomo Doria (1 November 1840 – 19 September 1913) was an Italian naturalist, botanist, herpetologist, and politician.
He was the founder of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Genoa in 1867, and director from then until his d ...
.
[
]
Description
Doria's tree-kangaroo is one of the largest tree-kangaroo species, and, on average, weighs between , its length is , with a long tail. It has long dense brown fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
with black ears and a pale brown or cream nonprehensile tail. It has large and powerful claws and a stocky build that gives it a bear-like appearance.
It is mostly solitary and nocturnal.
Its diet consists of various leaves, buds, flowers and fruits. The gestation period is about 30 days, after which, the single young remains in the mother's pouch for up to 10 months.[
]
;Conservation
Doria's tree-kangaroo is an IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
Vulnerable species
A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...
. Its forest habitat is threatened by logging and forest clearance. Being large sized, it's also hunted for its meat.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q183489
Macropods
Marsupials of New Guinea
Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea
Mammals of Papua New Guinea
Vulnerable fauna of Oceania
Mammals described in 1883