#dingiso

Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso)

(Photo from Palm Oil Detectives)

Conservation Status- Endangered

Habitat- New Guinea

Size (Weight/Length)- 9 kg; 65 cm

Diet- Leaves; Flowers; Ferns

Cool Facts- The dingiso is a type of tree kangaroo native to New Guinea. Despite being a tree kangaroo, they rarely spend time in trees and prefer the ground. The dingiso has an extremely small habitat range where it is considered sacred by the Moni people. Despite the dingiso being protected by both conservation organizations and the local tribespeople, they are endangered due to deforestation. Only being filmed in 2009, the dingiso goes under many people’s radar despite being adorable and endangered. Hopefully, the habitat that the dingiso lives in can be saved before we lose this utterly adorable marsupial.

Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso)

Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso)

Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso) Also known as: bondegezou

The dingiso is a species of tree-kangaroo endemic to Papua Province central on New Guinea island. The species epithet, mbaiso, means “the forbidden animal” in Moni. The species was first filmed for an episode of the BBC documentary South Pacific TV series in 2009, after 11 days of searching with local Moni tribesmen. The Dingiso remains common in the west because of the protection conferred on it by the Moni people. For many Moni, it is an ancestor which must never be harmed. Nonetheless, Dendrolagus mbaiso is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Classification Animalia - Chordata - Mammalia - Metatheria - Marsupialia - Australidelphia - Diprotodontia - Macropodiformes - Macropodoidea - Macropodidae - Macropodinae - Dendrolagus - D. mbaiso

Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso)

The Dingiso, originally known as the bondegezou (”man of the forest”), is a confirmed cryptid. It originally was a Moni legend from Western Papau New Guinea. It eventually was photographed and in 1994 was discovered to be a new species of tree kangaroo. 

It is rarely seen, and listed as an endangered species. 

(here defined as being in the Macropodidae family)

Fighter: Red Kangaroo

Barbarian: Rothschild’s Rock-Wallaby

Paladin: Eastern Grey Kangaroo

Thief: Banded Hare-Wallaby

Ranger: Antilopine Kangaroo

Bard: White-Striped Dorcopsis

Wizard: Matschie’s Tree-Kangaroo

Sorcerer: Tenkile

Warlock: Black Wallaroo

Cleric: Bridled Nail-Tail Wallaby

Monk: Whiptail Wallaby

Druid: Dingiso