One of the 6 kangaroos on WAnimals
Mammals · Diprotodontia · Macropodidae
Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo
Dendrolagus lumholtzi
It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary
Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo is the smallest of the tree-kangaroos and, along with Bennett's tree-kangaroo, the only one endemic to Australia. It lives in the cloud forests of northern Queensland, where it spends most of its time in the crowns feeding on leaves. Unlike the ground kangaroos, its hind legs are short and broad and it can move them independently, which is essential for climbing. Its long, non-prehensile tail acts as a counterbalance. Forest fragmentation and road deaths are its greatest threats.
Weight
5 kg – 10 kg
Size
50 cm – 65 cm
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Fun facts
- Leaps of up to nine metres to the ground and of fifteen metres between trees have been documented, with no injury at all.
- Its digestion of leaves relies on a chambered stomach and fermenting bacteria, a system much like that of the ruminants that lets it live on a very poor food.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Montane tropical rainforest of the Atherton Tableland, in north-eastern Queensland
- Birth weight
- A tiny marsupial neonate weighing under 1 gram
- Size at birth
- A tiny marsupial neonate that completes its development in the pouch
- Gestation / incubation
- 45 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrolagus_lumholtzi
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year on the Atherton Tableland in Queensland, at dusk; by day it rests curled up in the forks of trees.
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Bennett's Tree Kangaroo
Dendrolagus bennettianus
Agile Wallaby
Notamacropus agilis
Swamp Wallaby
Wallabia bicolor
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby
Petrogale xanthopus
Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby
Petrogale penicillata
Red-legged Pademelon
Thylogale stigmatica
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Based on what we already know about lumholtz's tree kangaroo.
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