Facts About Dingiso
The dingiso, also known as bondegezou, is a species of tree-kangaroo endemic to Papua Province central on New Guinea island, in northeastern Indonesia.
The species epithet, mbaiso, means "the forbidden animal" in Moni.
Distribution
The marsupial lives in alpine forests in the Sudirman Range in Papua Province of Western New Guinea. It lives just below the tree line, at elevations of 3,250–4,200 metres (10,660–13,780 ft).
The species was first filmed for an episode of the BBC documentary South Pacific TV series in 2009, after 11 days of searching with local Moni tribesmen.
Description
The dingiso has a distinctive pattern of black and white fur, it has a white belly, and a black head, back and limbs. Unlike other tree kangaroos, it spends little time in the trees.
Dendrolagus mbaiso was formally described to science in 1995 by Australian Museum zoologist Tim Flannery, Indonesian zoologist Boeadi, and Australian anthropologist Alexandra Szalay.
Conservation
The dingiso remains common in the west because of the protection conferred on it by the Moni people. For many Moni, it is an ancestor which must never be harmed. Nonetheless, Dendrolagus mbaiso is an IUCN Red Listed Endangered species.
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