{{Short description|Species of marsupial}} {{Speciesbox | name = | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Woinarski, J. |author2=Burbidge, A.A. |date=2020 |title=''Potorous longipes'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T18102A166498043 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T18102A166498043.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> | image = | genus = Potorous | species = longipes | authority = Seebeck & Johnston, 1980<ref name="Seebeck1980" /> }}
The '''long-footed potoroo''' ('''''Potorous longipes''''') is a small marsupial found in southeastern Australia, restricted to an area around the coastal border between New South Wales and Victoria. It was first recorded in 1967 when an adult male was caught in a dog trap in the forest southwest of Bonang, Victoria.<ref name="Shuker1993" /> It is classified as vulnerable.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" />
''P. longipes'' is the largest species of ''Potorous'', resembling the long-nosed potoroo, ''Potorous tridactylus''. It is a solitary, nocturnal creature, feeding on fungi, vegetation, and small invertebrates. It differs from ''P. tridactylus'' in its larger feet and longer tail.<ref name="Menkhorst" />
Current threats to the species include predation by introduced feral cats and foxes, and loss of habitat from logging within its limited range.
==Taxonomy== The scientific name of the animal commonly known as the long-footed potoroo is ''Potorous longipes''. Potoroo is the common name for all of the three other species in the genus ''Potorous'', Gilbert's potoroo, ''P. gilbertii'', the broad-faced potoroo, ''P. platyops'', and long-nosed potoroo, ''P. tridactylus''.<ref name="EDGE" /> ''P. longipes'' is the largest potoroo, and most resembles ''P. tridactylus''. The species was first recorded in 1967 in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia.<ref name="Richardson" /> The formal description was published in 1980.<ref name="Seebeck1980" /> Remains of the long-footed potoroo were found in predator droppings in 1986.<ref name="Australian" />
==Description and anatomy== The long-footed potoroo is a very rare marsupial only found in Australia. A potoroo is a small type of kangaroo-like marsupial.<ref name="EDGE" /> It is about the size of a rabbit and its common name suggests, it has very long hind feet. These feet have long toes with very strong claws.<ref name="Claridge" /> The species is the largest potoroos with males weighing up to {{cvt|2.3|kg|abbr=on}} and females {{cvt|1.4|kg|abbr=on}}. The entire body length is {{cvt|380|–|415|mm|abbr=on}}. The tail can be between {{cvt|315|and|325|mm|abbr=on}} in length, while the hind foot is {{cvt|103|–|114|mm}}. This animal can be differentiated from other potoroos by its long back feet,<ref name="EDGE" /> which are the same length relative to its head. It has an extra footpad called the hallcual pad.<ref name="Richardson" /> The long-footed potoroo hops in a similar fashion to a kangaroo, yet can use its tail to grasp objects.<ref name="Tyndale-Biscoe2004" /> It has a soft, dense coat, with grayish-brown fur that slowly fades into a lighter color on the feet and belly.<ref name="Claridge" />
==Behavior and life history==
===Habitat and distribution=== The long-footed potoroo lives in a range of montane forests. It has also been found in the warmer temperate rainforest. This species lives where the soil is constantly moist.<ref name="Australian" /> It spends its day time sleeping in a nest on the ground in a hidden, sheltered area.<ref name="Claridge" /> An essential feature of the long-footed potoroo's habitat is the dense vegetation cover that supplies protection and shelter from predators. This species was not known to science until 1967, so historically, it is inadequately understood. It has a very restricted area where it lives. The main populations can be found in Victoria, in the Barry Mountains, which is in the northeast part of the state, and in the East Gippsland, located in the far east. A smaller population lives north of the Victorian border in the south-east forest of New South Wales.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" />
It was reported in October 2025 that images of a long-footed potoroo were recorded on a camera that was set up to monitor feral cats in the Kosciuszko National Park in southern New South Wales. This was the first time the marsupial was found within the park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Caitlin |date=2025-10-17 |title=Rare discovery in Kosciuszko National Park as NSW rejects Barilaro-era brumby bill |url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/rare-discovery-in-kosciuszko-national-park-as-nsw-rejects-barilaro-era-brumby-bill-20251017-p5n3a8.html |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>
===Population=== The long-footed potoroo is very difficult to find in the wild due to its shy behavior. The National Recovery Plan states that a few thousand individuals are unlikely to remain in the wild as of now; only a few hundred long-footed potoroos may survive.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" />
===Diet=== Long-footed potoroos' diet normally consists of up to 91% of fruiting fungi found under ground.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> They are known to consume up to 58 different species of fungi as part of their diet.<ref name="Jackson2010" /> These underground fungi are also called sporocarps or truffles. If necessary, they may also eat fruits, plant material, and soil-dwelling invertebrates. Their jaws have shearing premolars and molars that are rounded at the top, indicating a varied diet is consumed.<ref name="Tyndale-Biscoe2004" />
The long-footed potoroo plays a part in the symbiotic relationship between the fungi (Ectomycorrhizae) and the trees. It helps this relationship by releasing the spores of the fruiting fungi through its fecal material. In turn, this helps keep the forest healthy, benefiting both the fungi and the forest.<ref name="Claridge" /> The species of fungi that are eaten in the winter and summer are similar, but the amount of each type of fungal species varies between seasons and years.<ref name="Australian" /> It has a sacculated fore stomach in which bacterial fermentation occurs. This aids in the breakdown of fungal cell walls.<ref name="Tyndale-Biscoe2004" />
===Behavior and communication=== The long-footed potoroo is very shy and elusive. It can produce a vocalization, a low ''kiss kiss'' sound when stressed or to communicate to its offspring.<ref name="Claridge" /> Although the long-footed potoroo is a nocturnal species, it may partake in early-morning basking in the sun.<ref name="Dickman2005" /> The long-footed potoroo is constantly hidden from plain sight. Under normal conditions, males are not aggressive. Nevertheless, if provoked, they can become aggressive in defending their home.<ref name="Dickman2005" />
===Mating, reproduction, and parental care=== Breeding can occur all year, yet most young are born in the winter, spring, and early summer. Higher rainfall and deep, moist soil full of leaf litter provides a stable food supply. In turn, these periods of good conditions allows breeding to occur easily.<ref name="Australian" /> When a female is in estrus, nearby males fight with one another, until dominance is established.<ref name="Dickman2005" /> The species has a monogamous mating system.<ref name="Coulson2010" /> The gestation period is around 38 days. In captivity, the offspring stay in the mother's pouch for 140 to 150 days. The offspring then reaches sexual maturity around 2 years old.<ref name="Claridge" /> Females can give birth up to three young per year, though one or two young is most commonly seen.<ref name="EDGE" /> After the young leave the pouch, they can stay with their mothers up to 20 weeks until they become independent. They stay in the mother's territory up to 12 months before leaving.<ref name="Australian" /> The long-footed potoroo exhibits postpartum oestrus and embryonic diapauses.<ref name="Dickman2005" />
===Movement patterns=== The long-footed potoroo moves to different parts of its territory due to the distribution of fungi. Thus seasonally, their territory boundaries change following the distribution of truffles. Males use a larger home range area than females use. The species is territorial and the territories of mated pairs can overlap with each other, but not with other pairs. The home range of the long-footed potoroo is between 22 and 60 ha in East Gippsland and between 14 and 23 ha in north-eastern Victoria.<ref name="Australian" />
==Conservation issues==
===Status=== As of 2006, the long-footed potoroo has been classified as endangered (EN) by the IUCN Red List. According to the IUCN Red List, the long-footed potoroo is considered endangered because its area of occurrence is less than 5,000 km<sup>2</sup>. The dispersed area where the animal is found is most likely in a decline of the number of individuals due to predators and competition for food from introduced pigs.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> It is listed as an endangered species on schedule 1 of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. It is also considered an endangered species under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and as endangered by the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.<ref name="Claridge" />
===Threats=== Their most serious predators include the red fox, feral cats, and wild dogs, all invasive species. Their habitat is greatly disturbed due to building roads, thus they have seemed to move along these roads and forage for food in these areas. This also causes a threat from being hit with a motor vehicle. In Victoria, the State Forest has about half of the long-footed potoroo population. Introduced pigs may be a large competitor for the long-footed potoroo's specialized diet.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" />
===Conservation plans=== Information on this rare species is spotty. Thus, to conserve it effectively, further studies on its way of life and habitat need to be conducted. Research was performed on a small captive population that was able to breed in the 1980s and 1990s at the Healesville Sanctuary.<ref name="Claridge" /> Small steps have been taken to increase the population of long-footed potoroo and to protect it from extinction. In the State Forest of Victoria, the long-footed potoroo is protected through special areas in which logging is monitored or prevented and burning of the forest has been reduced.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> Their natural predators such as the wild dogs, red fox and feral cats have also been put under control. This will allow the long-footed potoroo to reclaim their habitat and allow their numbers to rise again. Conservation plans such as these will not only benefit the long-footed potoroo, but will also be beneficial to other threatened animal species in this area.<ref name="Claridge" />
=== 2019–2020 Australian bushfires === Over 82% of its habitat was burnt during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ward|first1=Michelle|last2=Tulloch|first2=Ayesha I. T.|last3=Radford|first3=James Q.|last4=Williams|first4=Brooke A.|last5=Reside|first5=April E.|last6=Macdonald|first6=Stewart L.|last7=Mayfield|first7=Helen J.|last8=Maron|first8=Martine|last9=Possingham|first9=Hugh P.|last10=Vine|first10=Samantha J.|last11=O'Connor|first11=James L.|date=2020-07-20|title=Impact of 2019–2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat|url=http://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1251-1|journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution|volume=4|issue=10|pages=1321–1326|language=en|doi=10.1038/s41559-020-1251-1|pmid=32690905|bibcode=2020NatEE...4.1321W |s2cid=220657021|issn=2397-334X|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Seebeck1980">{{cite journal |last1=Seebeck |first1=J.H. |last2=Johnston |first2=P.G. |title=''Potorous longipes'' (Marsupialia:Macropodidae); a New Species from Easter Victoria |journal=Australian Journal of Zoology |date=1980 |volume=28 |issue=1 |page=119 |doi=10.1071/ZO9800119}}</ref> <!--<ref name="MSW3">{{MSW3 Groves|pages=58}}</ref>-->
<ref name="Menkhorst">{{cite book|last=Menkhorst|first=Peter|year=2001|title=A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=100}}</ref> <ref name="EDGE">{{cite web|title=Long-footed Potoroo (Potorous longipes)|url=http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=70|website=EDGE: Evolutionary Distinct &Globally Endangered|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Richardson">{{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=Ken|title=Australia's amazing kangaroos: their conservation, unique biology, and coexistence with humans|date=2012|publisher=CSIRO Pub.|location=Collington, VIC|isbn=978-0-643-09739-1|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SM8VI8UQ4e0C&q=Potorous+longipes&pg=PA32|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Australian">{{cite web|title=Long-footed Potoroo (Potorous longipes) Recovery Plan|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/long-footed-potoroo-potorous-longipes-recovery-plan|website=Australian Government: Department of the Environment|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Claridge">{{cite web|last1=Claridge|first1=Andrew|title=Long-footed potoroo (Potorous longipes)|url=http://www.arkive.org/long-footed-potoroo/potorous-longipes/|website=Arkive|access-date=23 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214024404/http://www.arkive.org/long-footed-potoroo/potorous-longipes/|archive-date=2014-12-14}}</ref> <ref name="Tyndale-Biscoe2004">{{cite book|last1=Tyndale-Biscoe|first1=Hugh|title=Life of marsupials|date=2004|publisher=CSIRO|location=Collingwood, Vic.|isbn=0-643-06257-2|page=291|edition=New|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDFeNMhJlPUC&q=Potorous+longipes&pg=PA436|access-date=21 October 2014}}</ref> <ref name="Jackson2010">{{cite book|last1=Jackson|first1=Stephen|last2=Vernes|first2=Karl|title=Kangaroo: portrait of an extraordinary marsupial|date=2010|publisher=Allen & Unwin|location=Crows Nest, N.S.W.|isbn=978-1-74175-903-7|page=127}}</ref> <ref name="Dickman2005">{{cite book|last1=Dickman|first1=Ronald M. Nowak; introduction by Christopher R.|title=Walker's marsupials of the world|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmarsupial00nowa|url-access=limited|date=2005|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|isbn=978-0-8018-8211-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/walkersmarsupial00nowa/page/n160 150]}}</ref> <ref name="Coulson2010">{{cite book|editor1-last=Coulson|editor1-first=Graeme|editor2-last=Eldridge|editor2-first=Mark|title=Macropods: the biology of kangaroos, wallabies, and rat-kangaroos|date=2010|publisher=CSIRO Pub.|location=Collingwood, VIC, Australia|isbn=978-0-643-09662-2|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NljzzaGC0vsC&q=monogomus&pg=PA168|access-date=1 November 2014 }}</ref> <ref name="Shuker1993">{{cite book|author1=Karl Shuker |author2=Gerald Durrell |title=Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers|year=1993|isbn=0-00-219943-2|page=83}}</ref> }}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070202135947/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Potorous_longipes/ Images and movies of long-footed potoroo at ARKive] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070830154043/http://www.fnpw.org.au/OurProjects/Plants_Wildlife/Long_Footed_Potoroo.htm Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife]
{{Diprotodontia|M.1}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q209600}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Potoroids Category:Endangered fauna of Australia Category:Mammals of New South Wales Category:Mammals of Victoria (state) Category:EDGE species Category:Mammals described in 1980