Long-nosed potoroo

Potorous tridactylus

Potoroos
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Potoroidae

Our long-nosed potoroos share an enclosure with our golden lion tamarins in our Madagascan Walkthrough.

Native to Tasmania and the south-eastern Australian coast, potoroos live in a variety of habitats including coastal woodlands and rainforests. They tend to be found in areas with thick ground or vegetation, which they use for shelter.

These omnivorous mammals primarily eat fungi, fruit, seeds as well as arthropods such as centipedes.

Interesting facts!

  • The length of the long-nosed potoroo’s nose depends on their locality. Usually the more south an individual lives, the longer the nose is.
  • A potoroo’s tail is semi-prehensile, which means that they can carry lightweight objects with it -female potoroos will do this with nesting material.
  • A potoroo is born blind, naked and is the same size as a 5 pence piece – as soon as the baby is born it will crawl into its mothers pouch, living for several months.

Conservation

Classified as Near Threatened, the population of long-nosed potoroos is thought to be around 75,000 mature individuals. However their population is continuing to decrease due to habitat loss, logging and bushfires.