All these newly recognised species are listed as threatened by the IUCN as a result of increasing loss of forest habitat and hunting pressure. pulcherrimus) from the northern coastal ranges, as well as the Ifola ( D. These are the Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo ( D. We have therefore concluded that at least three of these subspecies would more accurately be regarded as full species. ![]() goodfellowi) and Doria’s tree-kangaroo ( D. ![]() These major genetic differences largely correspond to the morphologically distinct subspecies currently recognised within Goodfellow’s tree-kangaroo ( D. We also found unexpectedly high levels of genetic divergence within several currently recognised New Guinea tree-kangaroo species. So, just what do you call the biological oxymoron that is a terrestrial tree-kangaroo…? mbaiso) from the high elevation (3000-4000m) sub-alpine scrub of West Papua, has again become largely terrestrial. However, in a strange evolutionary twist one species of tree-kangaroo, the Dingiso ( D. Tree-kangaroos also have larger and stronger forearms compared to other kangaroos/wallabies to support their arboreal lifestyles. Within tree-kangaroos, there is evidence of a shift in tail length and foot shape associated with increased tree-climbing ability. They now inhabit a range of wet forest types in New Guinea from sea level, to over 4000m! Although tree-kangaroos appear to have originated in Australia, they reached New Guinea not long after the landmass formed and have diversified spectacularly. Phylogenetic analysis of these data, resolved many long-standing issues in tree-kangaroo systematics, revealing six major genetic groups within tree-kangaroos - one in Australia and five highly divergent groups in New Guinea. ![]() To improve our understanding of relationships within this group we utilised the Australian Museum’s unparalleled collection of tree-kangaroos to obtained samples from all currently recognised tree-kangaroo species, including representatives from 14 of the 17 currently recognised or proposed subspecies and generated DNA sequence data from eight genes. However, the tree-kangaroo specimens held in museums in Australia and abroad, some for over 100 years, provided a unique opportunity to add genetic analyses to the previous morphological studies and break the impasse. ![]() Some species are only known from a handful of specimens and for over eight decades scientists had been revising and re-revising tree-kangaroo relationships based on morphological features such as coloration, hair-whorls, skull and teeth structure and foot length, with these studies often coming to very different conclusions. Although scientifically intriguing and aesthetically attractive, they are amongst the most poorly known large mammals in Australasia.ĭue to their inaccessible distributions, elusive behaviour and dense forested habitat our understanding of tree-kangaroo taxonomy and evolutionary history was limited and controversial. Modern tree-kangaroos are confined to the wet tropical forests of north Queensland, Australia (2 species) and New Guinea (8 species). Yet within the kangaroo and wallaby family (Macropodidae) one anomalous group, the tree-kangaroos genus Dendrolagus, has indeed abandoned the terrestrial lifestyle of their kin to return to life in the trees. The concept of a tree-living (arboreal) kangaroo, sounds like the product of an over-active imagination. The first comprehensive genetic study of tree-kangaroos has revealed the presence of at least three additional species hiding in the forests of New Guinea despite hiding in plain sight in museum collections for over 100 years.
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