Potoroo

The name "potoroo" refers to any species in the genus *Potorous*, a group of small marsupials related to kangaroos, wallabies, and other rat-kangaroos. This genus is the sole member of the tribe Potoroini. All three surviving species face threats from ecological changes that followed European settlement in Australia. The long-footed potoroo is endangered, and Gilbert's potoroo is critically endangered. The broad-faced potoroo went extinct soon after being scientifically described in the 1800s. Introduced predators, especially foxes, and habitat loss are the main dangers. Before colonization, potoroos were widespread, and early European settlers considered them major crop pests.

Gilbert's potoroo was first recorded in 1840 by naturalist John Gilbert. It was believed extinct until its rediscovery in 1994 at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve near Albany, Western Australia. Conservation work has raised the original wild population of 30–40 individuals to over 100. All *Potorous* species fall within the "critical weight range" for Australian mammals—animals weighing between 35 and 4,200 grams that tended to decline or vanish after British settlement.

The word "potoroo" comes from the Dharug word *badaru*. The genus *Potorous* belongs to the family Potoroidae. Because many species vanished or were heavily impacted soon after being described, the true diversity of the genus has been hard to determine. By 1888, five species had been described, but a revision by Oldfield Thomas reduced that to three. The genus was named *Potorous* by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1804, though Johann Illiger later replaced it with *Hypsiprymnus*, a name used by later authors despite Desmarest’s objections. Thomas saw no reason for the change and reinstated *Potorous* in 1888. Common names for these animals include rat-kangaroo, kangaroo rat, and potoroo.

The genus is closely related to the living *Bettongia* and *Aepyprymnus*, which together with the family Hypsiprymnodontidae are informally called "rat-kangaroos" within the suborder Macropodiformes. A conservative classification of modern and fossil relatives includes the family Potoroidae, with subfamilies †Palaeopotoroinae, Potoroinae, and †Bulungamayinae. Within Potoroinae are several extinct genera (†Borungaboodie, †Milliyowi, †Purtia, †Wakiewakie, †Gumardee) and two tribes: Bettongini (including *Aepyprymnus*, *Bettongia*, and the extinct †Caloprymnus) and Potoroini (including *Potorous*, †Purtia, †Wakiewakie, and †Gumardee).

When foraging, the long-nosed potoroo swings its head side to side near the ground, sniffing for food. Once it detects something by smell, it digs with its front paws. Potoroo skulls can be narrow and elongated (as in the living *P. gilbertii*, *P. longipes*, and *P. tridactylus*) or broad and flattened (as in the extinct *P. platyops*). Males have a strongly defined external occipital crest, but no sagittal crest is present. The auditory bullae are shallow and flattened. The teeth include sharp, strong canines; broad, long, low permanent premolars with serrated, concave, or horizontal cutting edges; and a long, narrow lower jaw tipped with a sharply pointed incisor. The dental formula is I3/1 C1/0 PM1/1 M4/4, the same as other potoroids. Juveniles have two premolars that are later replaced by a single permanent sectorial premolar.

The first known illustration of a potoroo appeared in 1790 in John White’s *Journal of a Voyage to Botany Bay*, with a caption calling the animal a "Poto Roo." The artwork was by Sarah Stone.