All printables
Tree Kangaroo — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Tree Kangaroo
Dendrolagus goodfellowi
Tree kangaroos (genus Dendrolagus) are the evolutionary about-turn of the marsupial world: kangaroos whose ancestors were arboreal possums, then left the trees to become ground-hopping grazers, and then went back up. That return has left visible marks. Ground kangaroos cannot mo…
Did you know?
- Tree kangaroos are so poorly adapted for movement on the ground that they appear awkward and clumsy, in stark contrast to their elegance in the trees.
- Tree kangaroos regained the ability to move their hind legs independently, something ground kangaroos lost, which is what allows them to walk rather than only hop. They can leap 18 metres to the ground and land unharmed. Their ancestors were tree-dwellers that became ground kangaroos and then climbed back into the canopy. They are so ill-suited to the ground that on land they walk with a slow, awkward waddle.
What I learned
Draw the tree kangaroo
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.