Are there supposed to be kangaroos in the treetops?
Tree Kangaroos Updated Mar 2024
Are kangaroos supposed to be at the top of a tall tree? So, forget everything you knew about Kangaroos. There are tiny ones smaller than a cat; some hop from rock to rock in the mountains, and some even climb trees.
If you take a trip to Australia, you will be sure to see at least a few kangaroos unless you stay in the cities all the time. Finding a Tree Kangaroo, however, is a little more difficult. They are becoming increasingly threatened due to logging and hunting.
Tree Kangaroos are found in three countries: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the far northeast corner of Australia on the Cape York peninsula. Twelve different species exist, of which only two live in Australia.
On my recent tour of Australia, I was determined to find at least one Tree Kangaroo, and I did. The photo above is a Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo. It is the smallest of them, measuring 48 to 65 cm. Tree Kangaroos have longer tails than other kangaroos, with tails longer than their body. Different species of Tree Kangaroos can be up to 90 cm in length, not including the tail. Their very long tails are used for balance to counter the weight of the head and shoulders. Other species of kangaroos do not have to worry about losing their balance and falling. Tree Kangaroos also have larger feet with long, curved nails and a sponge-like pad for gripping branches.
Tree Kangaroos spend little time on the ground and are slow. However, they are very agile in the treetops, where they can jump up to 9 metres (30 ft) like monkeys from tree to tree.
Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo. Look closely and you can see a baby in the pouch.
Species of Tree Kangaroo
Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo
- Bennett’s – Near Threatened – Cape York Peninsula only in far northeastern Australia
- Dingiso – Endangered – One small area in western New Guinea, Indonesia, only.
- Doria’s – Vulnerable – southeast Papua New Guinea only
- Golden-mantled – Critically Endangered – One small area on the north coast of Papua New Guinea only.
- Goodfellow’s – Endangered – Papua New Guinea only
- Grizzled – Vulnerable – Papua New Guinea and Indonesia
- Lowlands – Vulnerable – southern Papua New Guinea
- Lumholtz’s – Near Threatened – northeastern Queensland, Australia only
- Matschie’s – Endangered – Huron Peninsula, Papua New Guinea only
- Seri’s – Vulnerable – high elevations in central New Guinea only
- Tenkile – Critically Endangered – one very small area near the north coast of Papua New Guinea only.
- Ursine – Vulnerable – Western end of the island of New Guinea only.
Update March 2024
- Lowlands Tree Kangaroo conservation status changed from Least Concern to Vulnerable to extinction.
- Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo conservation status changed from Least Concern to Near Threatened.
Conservation Status
As you can see from the list above, all but two Tree Kangaroos are in danger of extinction to some extent. Two are Critically Endangered, meaning there is a very high risk of extinction.
Update March 2024
All species of Tree Kangaroos are now threatened with extinction to various degrees.