NEW YORK (AP) — This week, the Bronx Zoo celebrated the public debut of its newest tree-dwelling kangaroo joey, as the tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo, or Dendrolagus matschiei, peeked its pink head out of its mother’s white furry pouch.
Born in December, this joey is the second offspring for the same mother since 2022 and the third of its species to be born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008.
According to the zoo, Matschie’s tree kangaroos have a gestation period of about six weeks. After birth, the tiny joey immediately crawls into its mother’s pouch, where it will stay for around seven months before starting to peek out.
With only around 2,500 tree kangaroos left in the wild and 42 in captivity, the birth of this joey is a significant event for conservation efforts. A Bronx Zoo spokesperson emphasized the importance of this birth for preserving genetic diversity among endangered animals.
“It’s a small population, and because of that, births are not very common,” said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo. “It’s a rare and exciting event. Baby tree kangaroos are possibly one of the cutest animals ever—they look like stuffed animals, it’s amazing.”
Native to the Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea, Matschie’s tree kangaroos are threatened by habitat destruction and hunting. Unlike Australia’s more familiar red kangaroo, these kangaroos live primarily in trees and are smaller, with adults weighing between 20 and 25 pounds (9–11 kilograms). The joeys are about the size of a human thumb at birth but grow to as long as 30 inches (76 centimeters).