Long-nosed Potoroo Factfile

Scientific Name : Potorous tridactylus

World distribution

Long-nosed potoroos are mainly found in southeastern Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

They live in forests or shrubland where there is a thick ground-cover of plants. This is so that they can build nests on the ground and remain safely hidden from view. To get around in such thick undergrowth they make a network of pathways which they keep cleared.
Some long-nosed potoroos live in dry areas, whilst others inhabit wetlands.

Feeding

Long-nosed potoroos are omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of things including roots, bulbs, insects and grasses. Their main food, however, is fungus, which they dig up from the soil using their strong paws and sharp claws.

Predators

They are preyed on by owls and other birds of prey, and by feral cats and dogs. In the past, people sometimes hunted them for food, but they are now a protected species.

Breeding

After a pregnancy lasting just over a month, the female gives birth to a tiny, undeveloped baby. The baby crawls into its mother's pouch and attaches itself to a teat from which it gets milk.
When it is four months old it leaves the pouch for longer and longer periods until eventually it gets too big to squeeze back in!
Female potoroos have a baby once or twice each year. There is no particular breeding season - babies are born all year round.

Other interesting facts

• The fact that long-nosed potoroos can feed on all sorts of different foods and can live in a variety of habitats ( anywhere with a good ground cover of plants will do) has helped the species to survive: when huge bush fires destroy large areas of habitat (this is not unusual in Australia) , the survivors are able to move on to somewhere new.
• They seem to live alone (or with their baby) rather than in groups, coming together only to mate.
• Their tails are slightly prehensile (able to grip) and they are thought to use them to gather nesting material.
  
  

  Facts and Figures
  Name	long-nosed potoroo
  Type of animal	mammal
  Where found	Australia
  Habitat	forests
  Diet	omnivorous
  Average length	35 cm
  Average weight	1 kg
  Average number of young per year	2
  Gestation	38 days
  Maximum lifespan	12 years
  Note for Teachers

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