“It’s a hybrid of a kangaroo, a koala, a sloth, a monkey, and a bear,” explains conservation scientist, Lisa Dabek. Who knew that this mixing pot of animals could produce something so cute and huggable? It's no wonder then that the tree kangaroo is otherwise known as the teddy bear of the rainforest.
The adorable critters live in Papua New Guinea. This video from National Geographic shows conservationists locating a tree kangaroo and fixing a 'critter cam' to it in order to gain valuable data on these endangered animals.
The death-defying leap at the start of the video isn't because the tree kangaroo was darted; it's the tree kangaroo's natural response to feeling threatened. Their bodies are well adapted to surviving a drop from this height.
The tree kangaroos have gained the nickname "the ghosts of the rainforest" because they are so rare and elusive. For this reason, it's difficult to uncover anything about them, including their eating habits and movements. This is why the conservation team have gone to such efforts to find them.
The critter cam has already revealed new information about the tree kangaroos: They eat a rare orchid high up in the treetops. This information, along with lots more that the team expects to collect, will hopefully be useful for the conservationists in their quest to stop this loveable species from becoming even more threatened.
