Dendrolagus goodfellowi

Overview

Perth Zoo describes strong climbing limbs, gripping rubbery soles and independently moving hindfeet. Leaves, flowers and fruits dominate its mixed diet. Adults use mountain oak forests; near settlements their activity becomes mostly nocturnal. A joey remains in the pouch for eight to ten months.

The husbandry guide describes short, soft brown-red fur, two golden rump stripes and a long nonprehensile tail mottled gold and brown. Similar pelage in both sexes makes colour alone unsuitable for assigning sex. The tail balances an arboreal body rather than grasping a branch.

The Mammal Diversity Database credits Thomas’s 1908 name and places the species among macropodid diprotodontian marsupials. Its account records mainland Papua New Guinea from sea level to 2,860 metres. Classification supplies taxonomic context; it does not resolve a molecular branching order.

Origins & earliest records

Zoo natural history and a husbandry diagnosis complement a specialist mammal catalogue.

Evidence & interpretation

Climbing anatomy and diagnostic rump markings are distinguished from catalogue classification.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo

   Perth Zoo

2. 02

   Taxon 1000254

   Mammal Diversity Database

3. 03

   Husbandry guide

   ASZK-hosted guideline

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Placement follows the Mammal Diversity Database; no divergence date is inferred.

1. OrderDiprotodontia
2. FamilyMacropodidae

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional diagnosisGoodfellow’s tree kangarooResearch access: 2026-10-11
2. Institutional diagnosisTaxon 1000254Research access: 2026-10-11
3. Husbandry diagnosisHusbandry guideResearch access: 2026-10-11

Image credits

AI tree kangaroo with paired golden rump stripes and mottled tail.

AI scientific interpretation of an imagined arboreal adult.