Potoroo is a common name for species of ''Potorous'', a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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, p ...

, the suborder of kangaroo, wallaby, and other rat-kangaroo genera and is the only genus in the tribe Potoroini. All three extant species are

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

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, inv ...

) and '' P. gilbertii'' (

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

). 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 or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. 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 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 Romance langu ...

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 east ...

(near Albany) in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. 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 whose trajectory was toward decline or extinction during British settlement.

Etymology

''Potoroo'' comes from

Dharug The Dharug or Darug people, are a nation of Aboriginal Australian clans, who share ties of kinship, country and culture. In pre-colonial times, they lived as hunters in the region of current day Sydney. The Darug speak one of two dialects o ...

''badaru''.

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 Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist. Career Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for ...

merged this to three species. The genus was named ''Potorous'' by

Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (6 March 1784 – 4 June 1838) was a French Zoology, zoologist and author. He was the son of Nicolas Desmarest and the father of Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest. Career Desmarest was a disciple of Georges Cu ...

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. He founded the entomological periodical ''Magazin für Insektenkunde.'' The plant genus '' Illigera'' is named in his honour. Biography Illi ...

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 engineers displaced during the colonisation of the continent, and are vulnerable to threatening factors such as alter ...

'' and ''

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

'', 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'', o ...

, 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 ''Palaeopotorous priscus'' is a fossil species of a diprotodont marsupial, known from specimens obtained in central Australia. The animal was similar to the modern species of the family Potoroidae, the potoroos and bettongs. Taxonomy The only ...

** subfamily

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

*** genus †''

Borungaboodie ''Borungaboodie'' is an extinct genus of potoroo that lived in Southwest Australia during the Pleistocene. The genus is represented by a single species known as ''Borungaboodie hatcheri'', or more informally, the giant potoroo. Discovery and n ...

'' *** genus †'' Milliyowi'' *** genus †'' Purtia'' *** genus †'' Wakiewakie'' *** genus †'' Gumardee'' *** tribe Bettongini **** genus ''

'' **** genus ''

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

ia'' **** genus †'' Caloprymnus'' *** tribe Potoroini **** genus ''Potorous'' *** 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 attachment ...

is strongly defined, particularly in the males, and there is no apparent

sagittal crest A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull (at the sagittal suture) of many mammalian and reptilian skulls, among others. The presence of this ridge of bone indicates that there are excepti ...

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-physiology ...

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.

References

External links

''Potorous tridactylus tridactylus'' — Long-nosed Potoroo (SE mainland)
*http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/classification/Potorous.html *http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/bioinformatics/mammals/images/longlive.htm {{Taxonbar, from1=Q1475146, from2=Q131706732 Potoroids Marsupial genera Marsupials of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest