The gray dorcopsis or gray forest wallaby (''Dorcopsis luctuosa'') is a species of

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 ...

in the 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 ...

. It is found in West Papua and

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 ...

Description

The gray dorcopsis has a long muzzle and small, rounded ears. The forelegs are relatively longer in comparison to the hind legs than they are in most other members of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. The tail is long and has a bare, cornified tip. The short, dense fur is smokey-grey above and paler grey beneath, with a yellowish patch around the single

cloaca In animal anatomy, a cloaca ( ), plural cloacae ( or ), is the posterior orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles and birds, ...

l orifice. Males are much larger than females, a male weighing up to while a female reaches . The head and body length is in males and in females, with tails reaching and respectively.

Distribution and habitat

The gray dorcopsis is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the southern and southeastern part of the island of New Guinea where it occurs at altitudes of up to . Its habitat is tropical

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

forest, in particular

gallery forest A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...

, and it is also found in disturbed areas such as abandoned gardens.

Status

The major threats experienced by the gray dorcopsis are the loss of its forest habitat through timber extraction and conversion to

small-scale agriculture A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

and the fact that it is hunted for

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tropi ...

. In the vicinity of

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

it has been hunted intensively and few animals remain. It used to be found in the nearby Varirata National Park but it is unclear whether it is still present there. Because of the hunting pressure on this animal, the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

believes the population is in decline and lists it as being " Vulnerable". It advocates ongoing monitoring and assessment.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q209620 Macropods Mammals of Papua New Guinea Mammals of Western New Guinea Mammals described in 1874 Taxa named by Luigi D'Albertis Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Marsupials of New Guinea