Potoroo is a common name for species of ''Potorous'', a genus of smaller marsupials. They are allied to the

Macropodiformes The Macropodiformes , also known as macropods, are one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. They may in fact be nested within one of the suborders, Phalangeriformes. Kangaroos, wallabies and allies, bettongs, potoro ...

, the suborder of kangaroo, wallaby, and other rat-kangaroo genera. All three extant species are

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

by ecological changes since the colonisation of Australia, especially the long-footed potoroo '' Potorous longipes'' (

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

) and '' P. gilbertii'' ( critically endangered). The broad-faced potoroo '' P. platyops'' disappeared after its first description in the 19th century. The main threats are predation by

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

(especially foxes) and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. Potoroos were formerly very common in Australia, and early settlers reported them as being significant pests to their crops.

Status

Gilbert's potoroo was first described in the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

in 1840 by naturalist John Gilbert. It was then thought to have become extinct until being rediscovered in 1994 at the

Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve is a protected area managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife east of Albany, Western Australia. The area is accessible by 2WD vehicles. The bay itself, including two small secluded beaches, faces due eas ...

(near Albany) in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Conservation efforts have grown an initial wild population of 30-40 to over 100. All species of ''Potorous'' are well within the "critical weight range" for mammals in Australia, those weighing from 35 to 4200 g whose trajectory was toward decline or extinction during British settlement.

Taxonomy

A genus of smaller

macropodid Macropodidae is a family of marsupials that includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several other groups. These genera are allied to the suborder Macropodiformes, containing other macropods, and ar ...

s, it gives its name to the family

Potoroidae Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby. Taxonomy The potoroids are s ...

. The species of ''Potorous'' have been greatly impacted or become extinct since their first descriptions, which has presented difficulties in determining the diversity of the genus. The number of species described by 1888 was five, when a revision by Oldfield Thomas merged this to three species. The genus was named ''Potorous'' by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1804, an epithet that was replaced by

Illiger Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (19 November 1775 – 10 May 1813) was a German entomologist and zoologist. Illiger was the son of a merchant in Braunschweig. He studied under the entomologist Johann Hellwig, and later worked on the zoological coll ...

with the name ''Hypsiprymnus'' and cited by subsequent authors despite the protest of Desmarest. Oldfield Thomas saw no basis for this substitution and recognised ''Potorous'' in 1888. The common names for the species include rat-kangaroo, kangaroo rat, and potoroo.

Classification

The genus is allied with the extant ''

Bettongia Bettongs, species of the genus ''Bettongia'', are potoroine marsupials once common in Australia. They are important ecosystem engineer, ecosystem engineers displaced during the colonisation of the continent, and are vulnerable to threatening fac ...

'' and ''

Aepyprymnus The rufous rat-kangaroo or rufous bettong (''Aepyprymnus rufescens'') is a small, jumping, rat-like mammal native to eastern Australia. It is the only species in the genus ''Aepyprymnus''. The largest member of the rat-kangaroo family ( Potoroid ...

'', which along with the family

Hypsiprymnodontidae The Hypsiprymnodontidae are a family of macropods, one of two families containing animals commonly referred to as rat-kangaroos. The single known extant genus and species in this family, the musky rat-kangaroo, ''Hypsiprymnodon moschatus'', oc ...

, are informally grouped as the 'rat-kangaroos' of the suborder

. A conservative arrangement with allied modern and fossil genera may be summarised as: * family Potoroidae :* subfamily † Palaeopotoroinae :* subfamily

Potoroinae Potoroidae is a family of marsupials, small Australian animals known as bettongs, potoroos, and rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby. Taxonomy The potoroids are s ...

::* genus ''

'' ::* genus ''

'' ::* genus †'' Borungaboodie'' ::* genus †'' Milliyowi'' ::* genus '' Caloprymnus'' † modern extinction ::* genus '' Potorous'' :::* '' P. gilbertii'' Gilbert's potoroo :::* '' P. longipes'' Long-footed potoroo :::* '' P. platyops'' Broad-faced potoroo, † modern extinction :::* '' P. tridactylus'' Long-nosed potoroo ::* genus †'' Purtia'' ::* genus †'' Wakiewakie'' ::* genus †'' Gumardee'' :* subfamily † Bulungamayinae

Description

The long-nosed potoroo sniffs the ground with a side to side motion near the vicinity of food. Once the long-nosed potoroo has located a possible food source (with its sense of smell), it positions itself to begin excavating with its fore paws.Vernes, K., & Jarman, P. (2014). Long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) behaviour and handling times when foraging for buried truffles. Australian Mammalogy, 36(1), 128. doi:10.1071/am13037 The skull of potoroos may be either narrow and elongated, as in the extant ''P. gilbertii'', ''P. longipes'', ''P. tridactylus'', or broad and flattened, a feature of the extinct ''P. platyops''. An

external occipital crest The external occipital crest is part of the external surface of the squamous part of the occipital bone. It is a ridge along the midline, beginning at the external occipital protuberance and descending to the foramen magnum, that gives attachmen ...

is strongly defined, particularly in the males, and there is no apparent sagittal crest in the species cranial morphology. ''Potorous'' skulls have shallow and flattened auditory bullae. The dentition is distinguished by sharp and strong canines, the broad permanent premolars are long and low with a profile that is serrated, concave, or horizontal at the cutting edge. An acutely pointed incisor extends from the long and narrow lower mandible. The

dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolog ...

of the genus is the same as other potoroid taxa: I3/1 C1/0 PM1/1 M4/4. Two premolars in juveniles are replaced by a permanent sectorial premolar.

In popular culture

Poto Roo in journal of voyage 1790 John White

The first depiction of a potoroo species was published in 1790 by John White in his ''Journal of a Voyage to Botany Bay'', the caption describing the animal as a "Poto Roo". The artwork was produced by Sarah Stone. A villainous potoroo named

Pinstripe Pinstripes are a pattern of very thin stripes of any color running in parallel. The pattern is often found in fashion. The pinstripe is often compared to the similar chalk stripe. Pinstripes are very thin, often in width, and are created with ...

is a recurring character in the ''

Crash Bandicoot ''Crash Bandicoot'' is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series c ...

'' video game series. A potoroo in the Australian television series, ''Bluey'', episode, "The Creek", is also featured in the children's book ''Bluey: The Creek'' (2020, Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, Puffin Books).

References

External links

*http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/Potorous.html *http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/bioinformatics/mammals/images/longlive.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q1475146 Potoroids Marsupials of Australia Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest