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

) 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 the ...

(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 (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 ...

. 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 macropodids, it gives its name to the family Potoroidae. 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 Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (6 March 1784 – 4 June 1838) was a French zoologist and author. He was the son of Nicolas Desmarest and father of Eugène Anselme Sébastien Léon Desmarest. Desmarest was a disciple of Georges Cuvier and Alexandre Br ...

in 1804, an epithet that was replaced by Illiger 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'' and '' Aepyprymnus'', which along with the family Hypsiprymnodontidae, are informally grouped as the 'rat-kangaroos' of the suborder Macropodiformes. A conservative arrangement with allied modern and fossil genera may be summarised as: * family Potoroidae :* subfamily † Palaeopotoroinae :* subfamily Potoroinae ::* genus '' Aepyprymnus'' ::* genus '' Bettongia'' ::* 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 nam ...

'' ::* 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 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 exceptiona ...

in the species cranial morphology. ''Potorous'' skulls have shallow and flattened

auditory bullae The tympanic part of the temporal bone is a curved plate of bone lying below the squamous part of the temporal bone, in front of the mastoid process, and surrounding the external part of the ear canal. It originates as a separate bone (tympanic b ...

. 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 is a recurring character in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' 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