Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
A Tall Story
In Australia, some people tell tall stories. It is
unfair to describe these as lies because they are told more to entertain
than to deceive. This art form is not confined to Australia, but has
been common in the past with some of the Australians who spent a lot of
time in the remote areas.
One day, one of the men who was known to his friends as a
teller of tall stories returned from a remote area of Queensland with a
very tall story. He claimed that he had seen a Kangaroo climbing a
tree. If you think about the shape and behaviour of Kangaroos, this was
quite unbelievable. No doubt some of his friends had a good laugh.
The Man was Telling the Truth
There are two species of Tree Kangaroo in Australia, as well as eight in New Guinea.
Origin
The Kangaroo group of animals are descended from a
tree dwelling Possum like ancestor which came down from the trees
developed over the ages into a large group of species. One of these
went back to the trees while still retaining many Kangaroo like
characteristics.
Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
The smaller of the two Australian species is called
Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo after the Reverend Carl Lumholtz. It scientific
name is Dendrolagus lumholtzi.
Good Flavour
The generic name Dendrolagus means Tree
Hare. This was given to the Tree Kangaroos because they were considered
to be good to eat. Hunting as well as the destruction and
fragmentation of their habitat have severely reduced the numbers of this
animal and they are endangered species.
Seeing them
The easiest place to see the Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
is in the Crater Lakes National Park in Queensland. This park is in two
sections, each centred around one of the two Crater Lakes of
Queensland. These are Lakes Eacham and Barrine. Both are easily
reached by road from the city of Cairns, the "capital" of North
Queensland.
The Tree Kangaroos are mainly seen at night when they
are more active. The ideal weather condition for seeing them is when
there is light drizzle because they are more likely to be near the ends
of the branches in that weather. Heavy rain makes them retreat to
cover.
Food
The Tree Kangaroos eat leaves from a wide variety of
plants, including some that are either toxic or distasteful to many
animals.
Animals 
