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 ForestFocus on Indonesia: Page 3 Thirty-eight marsupials and one monotreme (egg-laying mammal such as a platypus) are listed in the 2000 IUCN Red List Species. One marsupial was previously unknown to scientists until 1994 when Tim Flannery (1998) discovered it in a remote mountainous area of Irian Jaya. This panda-like animal has long, fluffy black fur on its back and head, stripes of white on its belly and muzzle, and a white star on its forehead (see Flannery 1998 for color photo). It resembles no other tree-kangaroo and is also far more terrestrial than other species (Flannery 1998). The Moni tribe call it the "man of the forest," or Dingiso, because when threatened, it raises its arms above its head, exposing its white belly while letting out a whistle, which they consider a sign of recognition (Flannery 1998).
The Dingiso's scientific name, Dendrolagus mbaiso, means "forbidden" tree-kangaroo. The Moni believe it to be an ancestor and will not hunt it, but a neighboring tribe, the Dani, has no such taboo and kills the Dingisos for their fur, claws and tail tips. Weighing about 30 pounds and 30 inches tall, this fairly large tree-kangaroo lives in a dense, cloud pine forest up to 10,000 feet in altitude in the Maoke Mountain Range, an area where tree-kangaroos had never been seen. Within the territory of the Moni, this very tame tree-kangaroo is still common and can be easily approached by offering it some leaves; hunters take advantage of this trait by feeding it leaves and slipping a noose over its head (Flannery 1998). This beautiful animal is endangered, and should the protection of the Moni people end for some reason, it will likely become extinct, as it has already disappeared from the territory of the Dani tribe (Flannery 1998).
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