Matschie's tree-kangaroo

Species of marsupial

Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), also known as the Huon tree kangaroo is a tree kangaroo native to the Huon Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea island, within the nation of Papua New Guinea. Under the IUCN classification, Matschie's tree kangaroo is an endangered species. The scientific name honours German biologist Paul Matschie. The indigenous population refers to it as a Boongarry.

With a body and head length of , Matschie's tree kangaroo are much smaller than Australia's well known red kangaroo. An adult male weighs between 20 and 25 lb (9–11 kg). An adult female weighs between 15 and 20 lb (7–9 kg). There is no particular season in which they breed. Gestation lasts 44 days and joeys of captive bred individuals leave the pouch after 11 months. The average life span of the Matschie's tree kangaroo in the wild is unknown, but is at least 14 years. The life span of the kangaroo in a zoo is about 20 years. The most distinctive trait of all tree kangaroos is the hair whorl they possess. It is a patch of hair that goes out in many directions and its location ranges from up near the shoulders all the way down to the tail. The Matschie's tree kangaroo is golden on its ventral side, lower parts of its limbs, ear edges, belly, and tail, and the rest of its body is a chestnut brown colour, except for usually having a dark stripe down its back. Their faces are typically an array of yellow and white colours. The Matschies' are similar in colour and size to Dendrolagus dorianus, the Doria's tree kangaroo. Matschies' ears are small and bear like looking and they do not have a good sense of hearing because of it. They have curved claws on their forelimbs and soft pads on their hind limbs that aid in their climbing ability, and they have some independent movement of their digits as well as good dexterity due to their forelimbs being able to bend a great deal. The 4th and 5th digit of their feet are enlarged, the 1st digit is absent, and the 2nd and 3rd digits are syndactylous (two digits that look like one fused together). Out of all of the Dendrolagus species, the Matschie's tree kangaroo is the best vertical climber and has more strength in its muscles than any others. Their tails help to offset their balance while moving swiftly through the trees since their tails are about the same length as their head and body size. The Matschie's tree kangaroos are very closely related to Dendrolagus goodfellowi, the Goodfellow's tree kangaroo, which was once considered a subspecies of the Matschie's tree kangaroos. Matschies' have been found to be very susceptible to mycobacterial infections; however, the infections do not seem to be contagious because some individuals that are around infected kangaroos do not appear to get the infection. It seems to be from an avium complex related to tuberculosis, but scientists are still unsure of how exactly it spreads.

Matschie's tree kangaroos are restricted to the Huon peninsula of Papua New Guinea, a subdivision of Tumbanan faunal province, and are the only tree kangaroos found there. They are also residents on the island of Umboi, which is just off the coast of Papua New Guinea. However, most scientists believe the tree kangaroos were introduced onto this island and were not originally found there. The Matschies' prefer to live in deciduous forests and tropical rainforests because they remain in trees for most of their days. Mating occurs when a female advances on a male while on the ground; they touch each other's noses and click their tongues. The female is initially resistant to the male's advances. She will hiss and swat at the male but will permit him to mount her within ten minutes. Copulation can last up to sixty minutes afterwards. The gestation period lasts approximately 44.2 days, which is known to be the longest for any of the marsupials. A single observed captive birth occurred above ground, in the branches. Joeys first stick their head out of the pouch at roughly 22 weeks. They will first leave the pouch and feed on their own at 28 weeks. Joeys permanently vacate the pouch at approximately 41 weeks. The Matschie's tree kangaroos have no embryonic diapauses or delayed implantations and are able to get pregnant as soon as the joey leaves the pouch. (Loss of pouch young results in a return to estrus within 5 days.)

In 1996, the IUCN classified the Matschie's tree kangaroos as endangered animals. A Species Survival Plan has been developed by zoos around the world to help conserve the Matschie's tree kangaroos and stop the destruction of their natural habitat as well as keep healthy populations growing in the zoos. Comparison of the genetic diversity of the captive breeding population to wild populations is done to evaluate how the captive breeding program is retaining the population's genetic diversity over time. In a study done by McGreevy et al. (2010), "AZA Matschie tree kangaroo's haplotype diversity was almost two times lower than wild Matschie tree kangaroos." This difference with allele frequencies shows the changes that can happen over time like genetic drift and mutation when a species is taken out of its natural habitat.