Dorcopsis atrata Skull Replica or Black Forest Wallaby Skull measures 3.2 in. Black Forest Wallaby Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA.
The Dorcopsis atrata or Black forest wallaby (Dorcopsis atrata) is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae.
It is endemic to an island at the eastern end of New Guinea where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting, its population is declining.
Wallabies enjoy eating ferns, fruit, grasses, herbs, and leaves. These animals are herbivores, which means that their diet is entirely plants. Depending on their habitat, they may subsist off of grasses, ferns, leaves, herbs, and even various types of fruit.
The fur of Dorcopsis atrata or Black forest-wallabies is blackish on the dorsal part of their body and dark brown on the ventral side.
The tail is haired except for the terminal half, where it is naked. The wallabie’s nose is large, broad, and naked and its ears are small and rounded. The hind limbs and feet are small, while the front limbs are well-developed and robust.
Unlike most other wallaby species, the Dorcopsis atrata or Black forest wallaby is not specialized for jumping. Females of the species have four mammae and a pouch that opens forward.
Black dorcopsis or Black forest wallaby is believed to be mainly nocturnal but may move around during the day in dense forest.
It feeds on shoots, leaves, grasses, fruit and roots which it gathers with its mouth and manipulates with its fore paws.
A young Black forest wallaby develops in its mother’s pouch. There are four nipples in the pouch despite the fact that there is normally only a single juvenile developing there at any one time.
It is known from a single location, Goodenough Island at the eastern end of Papua New Guinea where it has a total extent of occurrence of less than 39 sq miles.
It spends most of the year in oak forests at altitudes of between 3,300 and 5,900 ft. where there is little undergrowth but the ground is carpeted with mosses, lichens and ferns.
Wallabies, both male and female, attain sexual maturity at an age of 15 months and may live up to 15 years in the wild. Females are polyestrous and are able to breed all year long. They usually give birth to one young per cycle although twins have been reported.
It descends seasonally to gullies and lower ground at which time it is vulnerable to being hunted. The Montane forest is being degraded using slash and burn techniques and is eventually being converted into grassland.
Although the Dorcopsis atrata or Black Forest wallaby is common in suitable habitat, the overall population is declining and the IUCN lists its conservation status as being “Critically endangered”.
