Dingiso Tree Kangaroo

Dingiso Tree Kangaroo
(Dendrolagus mbaiso)

Illustration - Peter Schouten

The Dingiso Tree Kangaroo is found in the Tembagapura and Kwiyawagi areas of West Papua. It inhabits subalpine forest and can be found at elevations from 3250-4200m. Dingiso has a distribution of up to 4000 square kilometres, but probably only uses a fraction of it. Dingiso is a large and predominately black species. The face has white stripes on either side of the muzzle and a white star in the centre of the forehead. It has a very thick coat which it needs to survive in the high elevations where it is most often encountered. Very little is known on the life history of this species as it was only described by Tim Flannery in 1995. Only two females have ever been weighed and they weighed-8.5 and 9kg. Dingiso is still hunted in some of its range. It has been classifed as vulnerable.

Distribution of the Dingiso Tree Kangaroo