Marsupial Spotlight: Musky Rat-Kangaroo

Yep! Kangaroos sure are big... OR ARE THEY?! Well, many of them are; however, in the case of the musky rat-kangaroo, they come in a very small package. This particular kangaroo has a very modest body length of 9 inches and only weigh about a pound. The musky rat-kangaroo is considered the smallest kangaroo in the world. I was rather surprised that it was considered a kangaroo at all, but they really do fit the bill.

The musky rat-kangaroo can be found in large numbers in northeast Australia and also in New Guinea. They are often found around rivers and creeks or tropical rain forests. These tiny marsupials make nests out of dried fern like some of their small cousins.

Apparently, this marsupial appears to have closer relations to the possum than any other kangaroo. This gives him an interesting prehensile tail which he can use to do a little climbing--very little actually. He also has opposable thumbs. No other kangaroo has either of these, and that makes him special. One more thing about that tail: it is unusually shiny as if it was made of glossy leather. Rat's also have furless tails, but this one is more noticeable. Some people might think it's kind of icky-looking, but I actually see it as a very prominent feature.

The musky rat-kangaroo is also a macropod. All kangaroos are macropods. Once mated, they can have one or two offspring per litter. The female's pouch is big enough for both of them. They will only produce offspring once every year.

Remember how the large kangaroos are known for their great leaps when they run? Most kangaroos tend to hop using only their back legs, but the musky rat-kangaroo also use their forelimbs. They gallop in a manner that is similar to a rabbit--placing their strong back feet in front of their forelimbs mid-gallop. This is very unusual for a kangaroo.

I had a lot of trouble finding research on their basic behaviors. There does not seem to be a huge interest in them--despite their unusual traits. This makes it hard to hone in on a fictional personality. Because of this, I had to look at images of them and try to figure out what they were thinking. Honestly, I think they are little weirdos. They got those creepy-but-cool shiny tails, possum-like thumbs, and rabbit-like traveling methods. They don't seem like they would really fit in with their kangaroo cousins. I think that they must have little rooms somewhere where they talk about weird things, and nobody else is in on the clique. If it is nothing like the real thing, then that just means that it is my imagination at work, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Weird...