Tree-Kangaroos
“To entertain the idea that any kangaroo known to us, or approaching its formation, could climb a tree, would be ridiculous, the animal was not formed for such work”, Mr William Hann, 1872, who led an expedition into Cape York Peninsula, Australia, upon being told of the existence of tree-kangaroos by the Aborigines.
Nature this week, examines one of the most curious and amazing group of animals: the tree-kangaroos. It's bizarre, but true - a kangaroo that lives in a tree!
Tree-kangaroos evolved from a rock wallaby-like ancestor at least 5 million years ago. Today two species of tree-kangaroo can be found in the rainforest of Queensland, Australia, and 8 species in New Guinea. In Australia, a specialised mountain dwelling species (Lumholtz) persists on the Atherton tablelands, whilst a more primitive type (Bennett’s) inhabits the northern lowlands and mountains.
Nature's wildlife sound recordist, Chris Watson travels to Queensland, Australia to meet Karen Coombes. She has been radio-tracking Lumholtz tree-kangaroos in an effort to learn more about their territorial requirements and feeding habits, as part of her PhD studies at James Cook University. Relatively little is known about tree-kangaroos, and as rainforest clearance continues in Australia for logging or to clear land for farming, zoologists like Karen are increasingly concerned that the diminishing habitat may threaten the survival of these magnificent and unusual animals.
But studying tree-kangaroos is no easy task. These mostly nocturnal creatures live high up in the canopy of the rainforest and generally only come down to the ground to move to another tree. They sleep during the day and feed at night, generally on leaves and in some cases on fruit. Radio-tracking tree-kangaroos is one way of monitoring their behaviour, but it is far from easy, as Chris Watson discovers when his search leads to an encounter with “wait-a-while” or “lawyer vine”, a viciously barbed vine which holds on tight when it snags clothes or skin, and holds its victim, exactly as its name suggests.
Tim Flannery, Director of South Australian Museum, and author of Tree Kangaroos, a curious natural history, has discovered several new species of tree kangaroo in New Guinea, including the beautifully coloured Gold-mantled tree kangaroo and dark-coloured Tenkile. In this programme, he reveals what we know about the evolution and ancestry of tree-kangaroos. He describes the threats that they face and the prospects for their future. Roger Martin who has studied Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroos, and Graeme Newell, who has studied Lumholtz Tree-kangaroos, also discuss their encounters and findings in Australia.
Whilst forest fragmentation, road kills and dingoes may be of concern in Australia, in New Guinea, hunting is a much more serious threat and today two species are on the verge of extinction. For Tim Flannery, there is a very real concern that within the same decade, a species he has discovered may become extinct.
Further Information
Tree Kangaroos: A Curious Natural History by Timothy Fridtjf Flannery, Roger Martin and Alexandra Szalay
Published1996 by Reed Books, Australia
ISBN 0 7301 0492 3 |
30 min
