Dingiso

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Dingiso
Systematics
Superordinate : Australidelphia
Order : Diprotodontia
Family : Kangaroos (Macropodidae)
Subfamily : Macropodinae
Genre : Tree kangaroos ( Dendrolagus )
Type : Dingiso
Scientific name
Dendrolagus mbaiso
Flannery , Boeadi & Szalay , 1995
Distribution map of the Dingiso

The dinghy ( Dendrolagus mbaiso ), also known as the black and white tree kangaroo , is a very rare species of tree kangaroo that is endemic to the Sudirman Mountains in western New Guinea . It was only discovered in 1994 below the Grasberg mine near the mining town of Tembagapura and described by Tim Flannery in 1995 . In 2009 a film team took the first film recordings of the dinghy as part of the BBC documentary The South Seas - The Adventure ( South Pacific ).

features

The dinghy reaches a head-to-trunk length of 660 to 670 mm, a tail length of 415 to 520 mm, a hind foot length of 108 to 110 mm and an ear length of 46 to 51.7 mm. The weight is 6.5 to 14.5 kilograms. The coat color is predominantly black. The throat and stomach are white. There are white stripes on both sides of the muzzle and a star-shaped white pattern can be seen in the center of the forehead. The fur is very thick and long.

Occurrence and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the dinghy is thought to cover an area of ​​4000 km². Part of it is in the Lorentz National Park . The habitat are mountain forests and areas with scrub in the subalpine zone at altitudes between 2700 and 3500  m .

Way of life

Little is known about the way of life. Dingisos are very trusting. Members of the Moni tribe reported of dinghies holding up one paw and making whistling noises. As with other tree kangaroos, their main diet consists of leaves and fruits.

Danger

In the western part of the distribution area, the dinghy is protected due to a local tradition. In other areas, however, it is hunted for food. Further threats are the growing population in the region, habitat destruction and climate change. The IUCN classifies the species as critically endangered.

etymology

The specific epithet mbaiso means "the forbidden animal" in the Moni language. The members of this tribe native to Western New Guinea worship the tree kangaroos as the spirit of their ancestors and therefore do not hunt the animals.

literature

  • Flannery, TF 1995. Mammals of New Guinea . 2nd Edition. Chatswood, New South Wales: Reed Books, 568 pp. ISBN 0-7301-0411-7
  • Groves, CP 2005. Order Diprotodontia. Pp. 43-70 in Wilson, DE & Reeder, DM (Eds.). Mammal Species of the World. 3. Edition. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Volumes 2, 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0

Web links