Rotbeinfilander
| Rotbeinfilander | ||||||||||||
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Drawing by John Gould from his "Mammals of Australia" |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Thylogale stigmatica | ||||||||||||
| ( Gould , 1860) |
The Rotbeinfilander ( Thylogale stigmatica ) is a type of kangaroo from the genus Filander ( Thylogale ).
features
Rotbeinfilander are relatively small representatives of the kangaroos. They reach a head body length of 39 to 54 centimeters, the tail is 30 to 47 centimeters long. The weight is 2.5 to 6.8 kilograms, with males becoming significantly larger and heavier than females. As with most kangaroos, the hind legs are significantly longer and stronger than the front legs. The fur of these animals is gray-brown on the back, the face, the flanks and the hind legs are reddish-brown. There are striking white and yellow stripes on the hips.
distribution and habitat
These kangaroos inhabit southern New Guinea and the east coast of Australia, from the Cape York Peninsula to central New South Wales . Their habitat are predominantly forests, although they can occur in rain , hard foliage and other forest forms. They can be found from sea level up to 1200 meters above sea level.
Lifestyle and diet
Rotbeinfilander are mainly nocturnal. During the day they sleep hidden in dense vegetation in the woods, at night they look for food, for which they go to the forest edges. In the event of a threat, they immediately return to the protective forest interior. They live mainly solitary, but sometimes join together to form small groups when searching for food.
Their diet consists mainly of fallen leaves and fruits, sometimes they also eat fresh leaves or grass. Like all kangaroos, they have a multi-chambered stomach for better utilization of the difficult to digest plant food.
Reproduction
Reproduction takes place between October and June, and after a gestation period of 28 to 30 days, the female usually gives birth to a single young. As with other kangaroos, their birth is delayed . The newborns spend their first months of life in the mother's pouch and come out for the first time after 4.5 to 6 months. After another 1.5 to 3 months, they are finally weaned.
Subspecies
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There are four subspecies:
- Thylogale stigmatica stigmatica , Queensland from Cooktown to Proserpine
- Thylogale stigmatica coxenii , Cape York Peninsula north of Coen
- Thylogale stigmatica oriomo , southern Papua New Guinea south of the lower reaches of the Fly
- Thylogale stigmatica wilcoxi , southeast coastal region from Queensland to Wyong in New South Wales
T. s. wilcoxi genetically differs greatly from the other three subspecies and could be an independent species. T. s. coxenii and T. s. oriomo , on the other hand, hardly differ and it is doubtful whether they should be classified as separate subspecies.
Danger
Rotbeinfilander are relatively common and common. In some areas the populations have declined due to habitat destruction and hunting (in New Guinea), but overall the species is not endangered according to the IUCN .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b M. DB Eldridge & GM Coulson: Family Macropodidae (Kangaroos and Wallabies) in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5. Monotremes and Marsupials. Lynx Editions, 2015, ISBN 978-84-96553-99-6 , page 699 and 700.
- ↑ Peggy Macqueen, Jennifer M. Seddon, Jeremy J. Austin, Steven Hamilton, Anne W. Goldizen: Phylogenetics of the pademelons (Macropodidae: Thylogale ) and historical biogeography of the Australo-Papuan region. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 57, Issue 3, December 2010, pp. 1134-1148, doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2010.08.010
- ^ Thylogale stigmatica in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species . Retrieved May 19, 2009.
