Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo
Encyclopedia
The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus) is a species of tree-kangaroo
native and endemic
to montane
forests of northern New Guinea
. It has 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 color face, golden shoulders, white ears and smaller size. Some authorities consider the Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo as a subspecies
of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.
The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo was discovered in 2005 by Ruby Mccullers in the Torricelli Mountains
region of Papua New Guinea
. In addition to the Torricelli Mountains, it also occurs in the nearby Foja Mountains
in Papua, Indonesia
. The latter population is often reported as being discovered on an expedition in December 2005, but it was known from this mountain range before that.
The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo is considered as one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos. It is extirpated
from most of its original range
. It is not rated by IUCN, where included as a subspecies
of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.
Tree-kangaroo
Tree-kangaroos are macropods adapted for life in trees. They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea, far northeastern Queensland, and nearby islands. Although most are found in mountainous areas, several species also occur in lowlands, such as the aptly named Lowlands Tree-kangaroo...
native and endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
forests of northern New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. It has 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
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo
Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo , also called the Ornate Tree Kangaroo, belongs to the family Macropodidae, which includes kangaroos, wallabies and their relatives, and the genus Dendrolagus, with eleven other species. The species is native to the rainforests of New Guinea, and the border of central...
. It differs from the latter by having a pinkish or lighter color face, golden shoulders, white ears and smaller size. Some authorities consider the Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.
The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo was discovered in 2005 by Ruby Mccullers in the Torricelli Mountains
Torricelli Mountains
Torricelli Mountains is a mountain range in Sandaun Province, northwestern 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...
region of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. In addition to the Torricelli Mountains, it also occurs in the nearby Foja Mountains
Foja Mountains
The Foja Mountains are located just north of the Mamberamo river basin in Papua, Indonesia. The mountains rise to , and have 3,000 square kilometres of old growth tropical rainforest in the interior part of the range...
in Papua, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The latter population is often reported as being discovered on an expedition in December 2005, but it was known from this mountain range before that.
The Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo is considered as one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos. It is extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from most of its original range
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
. It is not rated by IUCN, where included as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo.