Lesser forest wallaby
The lesser forest wallaby or small dorcopsis (Dorcopsulus vanheurni ) is a species of marsupial in the family Macropodidae. It is found in the mountainous interior of West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is less common than it used to be and the IUCN has assessed it as being "near threatened".
It is known as sgaw in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.
The small dorcopsis is endemic to the island of New Guinea, being present in hill and upland habitats in the central mountain chain, at altitudes between 800 and 3,100 metres (2,600 and 10,200 ft). It used to occur in the Schrader Range, the Hunstein Range and the Torricelli Mountains but no longer does, and it may no longer be present in the Adelbert Range. Its natural habitat is both primary and secondary forests, and forest glades, and it is often found near streams. Each animal has a home range of one to one and a half hectares.
The small dorcopsis is assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being "near threatened", and even approaching the "vulnerable" category. This is on the basis that it was once a common species but has become much less common, especially near human settlements, because it is hunted for food by the indigenous people and is preyed on by the New Guinea singing dogs which roam in the interior of the island.
