MIAMI – An endangered Matchie’s tree kangaroo joey from Papua New Guinea has started peeking out of its mother’s pouch at Zoo Miami.
Although the joey remains mostly confined to the pouch, it will continue to develop there for the next several weeks before venturing away from its mother. Complete weaning is expected to occur around the joey’s first birthday, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed in a press release Tuesday.
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The joey, born on Jan. 8, is only now beginning to regularly expose itself.
Tree kangaroos, like most marsupials, are born in “an almost embryonic state following a pregnancy of about 44 days,” said Magill in a news release Tuesday.
Initially, the newborn, no larger than a jellybean, crawls into the mother’s pouch and latches onto a nipple where it undergoes significant development. It takes several months before the joey’s head emerges from the pouch, becoming visible, according to Zoo Miami officials.
Magill said the first-time mother, Poppy, a 3-year-old born in Kansas City, and the 16-year-old father, Banyon, born at the Bronx Zoo in New York, have welcomed their fourth offspring.
The joey, confirmed to be female, will eventually join an international breeding program, marking her as the tenth one born at the zoo, according to Zoo Miami officials.
“Matchie’s tree kangaroos inhabit high elevations in the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea, spending most of their time in trees and feeding on leaves, ferns, moss, and bark,” said Magill.
They are primarily solitary animals, with the strongest social bond being between mother and offspring.
Fewer than 2,500 Matchie’s tree kangaroos are estimated to remain in the wild, facing threats from hunting and habitat loss due to expanding agriculture, according to Zoo Miami.
Magill said Zoo Miami contributes significant annual funding and has staff participate in conservation efforts in Papua New Guinea to protect this species.