Musky Rat-Kangaroo: Hypsiprymnodontidae - Physical Characteristics, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, MUSKY RAT-KANGAROOS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
rainforest queensland lives northeastern
The musky rat-kangaroo lives only in a small area of Australian rainforest in northeastern Queensland.
Musky rat-kangaroos live on the rainforest floor. They usually prefer places where there are many plants that provide good cover for them. They often live near water, such as streams and lakes, because that is where the vegetation is more dense.
The musky rat-kangaroo does not have any known particular significance to humans, except to the scientists who study them.
The musky rat-kangaroo not considered threatened in the wild. However, it is of concern to conservationists, because it lives only in a very small area of the rainforest in northeastern Queensland. Its habitat is disappearing because of clear cutting for agriculture. Because the musky rat-kangaroo lives in only one location, any severe loss of its habitat could be devastating to its population.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Books:
Triggs, Barbara. Tracks, Scats and Other Traces: A Field Guide to Australian Mammals. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Woods, Samuel G. Sorting Out Mammals: Everything You Want to Know About Marsupials, Carnivores, Herbivores, and More! Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch Marketing, 1999.
Web sites:
Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges, Tropical North Queensland, Australia. "Musky rat kangaroo." http://rainforest-australia.com/rkangaroo.htm (accessed on June 30, 2004).
Other sources:
Berry, Ruth and Mark Chapman. ABC TV Documentaries: Hypsi: The Forest Gardener. Aired: 1/16/2001. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/documentaries/stories/s231600.htm (Web site accessed on June 30, 2004).
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