Twenty-six samples (n = 24 spp.) of foods eaten, including ferns, shrubs, vines, orchids, herbaceous plants, and tree leaves, were collected from the Yopno, Uruwa, and Som Conservation Area at approximately 1,800 m altitude on the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Samples were weighed fresh in the field and transported to the Lae National Herbarium in PNG for drying and confirmed identification, before transporting to the US for analysis of primary nutrient composition and minerals. Water content averaged 76 ± 10% (mean ± standard deviation); on a dry matter (DM) basis, foods averaged moderate protein (11 ± 5%), and soluble carbohydrate (27 ± 8%) content, along with exceptionally low starch (1 ± 1%) and crude fat (3 ± 2%) values, and moderate to high values in fiber fractions (neutral detergent fiber 52 ± 13%, acid detergent fiber 39 ± 10%, lignin 15 ± 6%). Calculated metabolizable energy content of native forages averaged 1.9 ± 0.3 Mcal/kg DM (ruminant model). Macromineral concentrations (DM basis) were not exceptional (calcium 1.1 ± 1.0%, phosphorus 0.2 ± 0.1%, magnesium 0.3 ± 0.2%, potassium 1.8 ± 0.9%, sodium 0.02 ± 0.02%), and select trace minerals were within anticipated ranges for herbivores (copper 12 ± 13 mg/kg, iron 48 ± 26 mg/kg, zinc 34 ± 18 mg/kg) with the exception of manganese (268 ± 225 mg/kg), which could be considered on the high end of dietary adequacy for most herbivores. These data provide useful information that can be used to adjust nutrient targets for dietary development and feeding management of captive populations of tree kangaroos.
Keywords: browse; fiber; herbivore; marsupial; nutrition.
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.