Trivia question for Jan-26-2011

Carter thinks these guys are too cute so this is his choice for the trivia of the day:

Prized by the locals as a food source, these marsupials are the largest in their range.  When kept captive by villagers they have been know to kill chickens and devour them headfirst, although this behavior is not common in the wild.

These guys are able to leap more than 33-feet between trees and as much as 66-feet to the ground without injury.  Can you tell us what this is and where they can be found?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to both Ty and Simone for getting the answer correct.  The animal featured is the Matschie’s Tree-kangaroo, also known as the Huon Tree-kangaroo.   They are native to the Huon Peninsula of North Eastern New Guinea.

In 1996, the IUCN classified the Matschie’s tree kangaroos as endangered animals. A lot of the Huon Peninsula trees have been cleared in which the tree kangaroos chiefly inhabit, so there are more grassy areas created and the Matschie’s tree kangaroos’ habitat is being destroyed. They are also threatened by oil drilling, logging, hunting by humans, and rainforest clearing.

Here is more information on these little kangaroos: Matschie’s Tree-kangaroo

Thanks for playing along 😉