Dendrolagus scottae, Flannery & Seri, 1990

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2015, Macropodidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 630-735 : 705

22.

Scott’s Tree Kangaroo

Dendrolagus scottae

French: Dendrolague de Scott / German: Scott-Baumkéanguru / Spanish: Canguro arboricola de Scott

Other common names: Tenkile, Tenkile Tree Kangaroo

Taxonomy. Dendrolagus scottae Flannery & Seri, 1990 ,

“ about 1,400 m on Sweipini (3°23’S, 142°06’E), a ridge just to the west of the Mount Somoro summit, Torricelli Mountains , West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.”

Population in Bewani Mountains may represent an undescribed subspecies; further study required. Monotypic.

Distribution. Bewani Mts and Torricelli Mts, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 72-75 cm (males) and 56.5-72.5 cm (females), tail 52-59 cm (males) and 52-54 cm (females); weight 9-5—11-5 kg (males) and 6.8-9.5 kg (females). Large, short-tailed, predominantly black tree kangaroo. Black dorsally and ventrally, although often slightly paler on rump. Fur long and dense. Single hair whorl on dorsal midline below shoulders. Face and limbs dark brown, although digits black. Ears short and well furred. Tail often paler than body, with variable sprinkling of silvery-brown hairs. Silvery to orange-brown region ofvariable size dorsally at base oftail and in occasional blotches along length of tail, especially ventrally.

Habitat. Montane tropical rainforest, from 800 m to 2000 m elevation.

Food and Feeding. Folivorous, consuming leaves of vines, forest trees, and epiphytic ferns. Forages both in canopy and on ground.

Breeding. Poorly known. Females appear to breed throughout year and produce a single young approximately every twelve months. Significant sexual size dimorphism suggests intense competition among males for access to females.

Activity patterns. Poorly known. May be diurnal or crepuscular. Reported as resting on ground or low in trees. Activity may be reduced in heavy rain.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Poorly known. Seems to spend large amounts of time on ground. Largely solitary, but small groups of up to six individuals have also been reported in areas with lower hunting pressure. Appears to favor gullies in dry season and ridgetops during wet season.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red Lust. Scott’s Tree Kangaroo is a very rare, poorly known species with an extremely restricted distribution. It has suffered a major decline in the last 50-60 years (since 1950s) and continues to be threatened by hunting by local people for food, as well as by habitat loss resulting from expanding agriculture as a consequence of human population growth. The Tenkile Conservation Alliance has been working with communities in the Torricelli Mountains since 2001 to improve biodiversity conservation and local living standards, as well as promoting research. A hunting moratorium for Scott’s Tree Kangaroo was first established in 2004, and has subsequently been expanded to include 20 villages in part of the species’ range. There is now some evidence of population recovery. A permanent Conservation Area in the Torricelli Mountainsis currently being established. No Scott's Tree Kangaroos are currently held in captivity. Additional research on taxonomy, distribution, abundance, diet, behavior, reproduction, and 1mpact of threats is required.

Bibliography. Flannery (1995a), Flannery & Seri (1990a), Flannery et al. (1996), Leary, Wright, Hamilton, Helgen, Singadan, Aplin, Dickman et al. (2008), TCA (2012).

Figures

10. Rufous-bellied Pademelon (Thylogale billardieru), 11. Red-necked Pademelon (Thylogale thetis), 12. Red-legged Pademelon (Thylogale stigmatica), 13. New Guinea Pademelon (Thylogale browni), 14. Dusky Pademelon (Thylogale brunii), 15. Calaby’s Pademelon (Thylogale calabyi), 16. Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus), 17. Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), 18. Grizzled Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus), 19. Vogelkop Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus ursinus), 20. Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso), 21. Doria’s. 9 Tree Kangaroo Dendrolagus (- dorianus), 22. Scott’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus scottae), 23. Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi), 24. Huon Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschie), 25. Lowland Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus spadix)

Distribution. Bewani Mts and Torricelli Mts, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.