From Trees to the Plains

The Papua New Guinea Goodfellows Tree Kangaroo is known for its striking reddish-brown fur. Unlike ground-dwelling kangaroos in Australia, they are expert tree climbers with strong hind legs and curved paws for climbing trees, and long balancing tails. They are herbivores, which means their diet contains leaves (mostly from the Silkwood tree) and fruits. In a warming future, the Rainforest Tree Kangaroo will evolve to have yellow fur and live in the Savannah because there will be more severe droughts and a hotter climate. They will have long, powerful legs and a muscular tail that will act like a “fifth leg” when running. They will have an open pouch for two or three joeys, and flat claws for easy moving on land with the extra weight. The evolved Tree Kangaroo will now store water in their cheeks because there will be more droughts, so it will need bigger cheeks.