The dingiso () (Dendrolagus mbaiso), also known as the bondegezou or bakaga, is an endangered, long-tailed marsupial found only in mountain forests on the west of the island of New Guinea (in Indonesia). It is a species of tree-kangaroo (genus Dendrolagus), which are mammals native to Australia and New Guinea that feed on leaves or other plant matter. It belongs to the macropodid family (Macropodidae) with kangaroos, and carries its young in a pouch like most other marsupials. Though sacred to the local Moni people, it is still threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Distribution

The marsupial lives in sub-alpine forests in the Sudirman Range in Central Papua and Highland Papua in Western New Guinea. It lives just below the tree line, at elevations of .

The species was first filmed for an episode of the BBC documentary South Pacific TV series in 2009, after 11 days of searching with local Moni tribesmen.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the dingiso inhabits mossy forests and shrubland and is "found in rugged areas".

Description

The dingiso has a distinctive pattern of black and white fur, it has a white belly, and a black head, back and limbs. Unlike other tree kangaroos, it spends little time in the trees.

Taxonomy

Dendrolagus mbaiso was formally described to science in 1995 by Australian Museum zoologist Tim Flannery, Indonesian zoologist Boeadi, and Australian anthropologist Alexandra Szalay.

Behavior

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species states that the dingiso is mainly terrestrial and "very docile".

References

  • Papuaweb.org: Tree Kangaroos: A Curious Natural History — the Dingiso section