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An endangered Matchie’s tree kangaroo joey from Papua New Guinea has begun to peek out of its mother’s pouch at Zoo Miami.
It is still basically confined to the pouch where it will continue to develop for the next several weeks before venturing away from its mother. It will not be totally weaned until it is around a year old.
Though it is just now exposing itself on a regular basis, this joey was born Jan. 8 of this year. As with most marsupials, tree kangaroos are born in an almost embryonic state after a pregnancy of about 44 days. The newborn is only the size of a jellybean and slowly crawls into the mother’s pouch where it locks onto a nipple where most of the development takes place. It takes several months before the joey sticks its head out of the pouch and is visible.
The first-time mother, named “Poppy,” is 3 years years old and was born in Kansas City.
The 16-year-old father, named “Banyon,” was born at the Bronx Zoo in New York and this is his fourth offspring. The sex of the joey has been confirmed as a female and she will eventually become part of an international breeding program. Zoo Miami has been a long-time contributor to Matchie’s tree kangaroo conservation efforts in the wilds of Papua New Guinea. Though this is Poppy’s first baby, it is the 10th one born at Zoo Miami.
Matchie’s tree kangaroos live at high elevations in the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea where they spend most of their time up in trees feeding on a variety of leaves, ferns, moss, and bark. They are believed to be solitary animals and the only strong social bond formed is between a mother and her offspring.
There are estimated to be less than 2,500 Matchie’s tree kangaroos remaining in the wild.
Their greatest threats are hunting for food and trade, combined with habitat loss due to expanding agriculture. In addition to significant annual funding support to conservation projects, Zoo Miami staff has traveled to Papua New Guinea to participate in conservation efforts to protect and conserve this marsupial.
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