Your morning adorable: Matschie’s tree kangaroo

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The Singapore Zoo‘s lone Matschie’s tree kangaroo lives in its Fragile Forest exhibit, which houses animals in danger of extinction. Matschie’s tree kangaroos are native to Papua New Guinea, where logging and hunting have threatened the species.

Fortunately, conservation biologists from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle recently collaborated with Papua New Guinea villagers to create a 187,800-acre conservation area to protect species like Matschie’s tree kangaroo.

The species is one of over 50 species of kangaroo, including about 10 types of tree kangaroo. They’re much smaller than the kangaroos most of us are more familiar with (like Australia’s red kangaroo), weighing about 15 to 25 pounds -- but, like their bigger, land-living cousins, can jump great distances. A leap of 30 feet is not uncommon for these little guys.

More photos after the jump!

-- Lindsay Barnett