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Glite Dictionary
tree kangaroo

tree kangaroo

1 6.9
An animal like a kangaroo that lives in trees in New Guinea and northern Australia
  • noun
  • /tri kæŋˈɡuː/
  • Australian
translation icon : canguro arborícola
  • Tree kangaroos are marsupials.

Examples

  • Endangered tree kangaroos rely on forested areas in New Guinea for their survival.

  • Now you know: Tree kangaroos are slow and clumsy on the ground and spend most of their time in trees, where they can leap long distances.

    Blog text (16)

  • Tree kangaroos can jump 50 feet or more to the ground.

    Blog text (16)

  • Sex: The Detroit Zoo is home to two tree kangaroos, a male and female.

    Blog text (16)

  • Having seen it happen to tree kangaroos, I now have no difficulty understanding how it happened to moas.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Tree kangaroos are mostly solitary.

    Blog text (16)

  • ANIMALS OF THE ZOO: Tree kangaroo adapted for life off the ground (VIDEO)

    Blog text (16)

  • The tree kangaroo is well adapted to climbing and living in tall trees in its natural habitat.

  • At the zoo, we were excited to see the tree kangaroo lazily climbing among the branches.

Synonyms

Dendrolagus
vstree kangaroo
  • Specialized
9.9

A kangaroo that lives in trees in New Guinea, Australia, and nearby islands

is the common general name rather than the genus label
tree wallaby
vstree kangaroo
  • Australian
9.0

A small kangaroo-like animal that lives in trees in Australia and New Guinea

is the broader common name used for this tree-adapted marsupial

Surface Forms

tree kangaroo singular
tree kangaroos plural

Morphology

tree + kangaroo

The compound 'tree kangaroo' is directly compositional: it denotes a kangaroo associated with trees (i.e., a kangaroo adapted to living in trees). This noun+noun pattern is a common, cross-linguistic naming strategy, so a B1 learner who knows 'tree' and 'kangaroo' can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Tree kangaroo comes from the simple image of a tree plus a kangaroo — imagine a kangaroo that climbs and lives in the branches. That's why the name means a marsupial 'that lives in trees' and has strong forelegs and a tail to hold on while it moves above the ground.