A kangaroo that lives in trees? That’s right! This is a Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo that lives in the forests of Papua New Guinea. They jump from tree to tree in search of food. Their favorite foods are grass shoots, ferns, leaves and buds of emerging flowers. Like other kangaroos, they are marsupials, which means they carry their babies in a pouch.
Notice the baby matschie’s tree kangaroo (joey) poking his head out of his mother’s pouch. The mother is only pregnant for about 44 days, then after the mother gives birth the baby climbs into the pouch where it will stay for 10 months. The mother often cleans the joey and her pouch during this time. After 13 months the joey leaves the pouch for good to begin exploring with it’s mother, after the joey is 18 months old it will leave its mother to live on its own.
Little is known about matschie’s tree kangaroos. Currently they are classified as endangered.
Check out the video below to see a Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo munching on some grass!
