Creature Day

 Another Tuesday, another creature and this week we have the tree kangaroo, have you heard of it, I have.

Now this kangaroo unlike their ground dwelling cousins have long muscular arms and short legs. They also have curved nails and spongy pads that help with gripping while a long tail helps with balance.

They are graceful climbers, they wrap their arms around tree trunks and hop upwards using their hind legs. They are also expert jumpers leaping from tree to tree and down to the ground.

The species live in the steamy rainforests of New Guinea and north eastern Australia, they keep cool by licking their arms and letting the moisture evaporate.

In Australia, there are now just two species: Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus lumholtzi, and Bennett's Tree-kangaroo, Dendrolagus bennettianus. Both are found only in the Wet Tropics of far north-east Queensland, one species on each side of the Daintree River.

Tree kangaroos are very difficult to study in the wild so their average lifespan is unknown, but it is likely 15-20 years. However, in captivity they can live for more than 20 years! The oldest known tree kangaroo is 27 years old.