Long Footed Potoroo

The long-footed potoroo is a shy, mostly nocturnal species that spends the day sleeping in a simple nest scraped in the ground in a sheltered location (4). Underground, fruiting fungi ordinarily form 90 percent of the diet during most of the year, although fruits and other plant material, as well as some litter and soils-dwelling invertebrates are also eaten (2). All of the underground fruiting fungi that the long-footed potoroo eats share a special symbiotic relationship with the trees of the forest, termed a mycorrhiza. Within this relationship, the fungus lives on the roots of the host plant, supplying nutrients and helping the plant to resist disease. In return, the fungus received energy, in the form of carbohydrates, from the plant. Long-footed potoroos play a vital role in dispersing the spores of the underground fruiting fungi, the spores of which travel intact through the digestive tract of the animal and are returned to the forest in faecal pellets. In doing so, the long-footed potoroo plays an essential role in keeping the forest healthy (4) (6). Breeding takes place throughout the year. Females produce a single young after a gestation period of around 38 days (2). In captivity, the young stays in the mother's pouch for 140 to 150 days and reaches sexual maturity at two years of age (2).

Information on this elusive rare species is sparse, and so further studies into habitat selection, breeding, dispersal, diet and the threats affecting this species are needed in order to effectively conserve it (5). A small breeding captive population was held at Healesville Sanctuary through the 1980s and 1990s, which allowed research on the behaviour and reproduction of the species, otherwise difficult to observe in the wild (3). The ongoing status of the captive colony is unclear, as the last remaining animal died recently (6). In Victoria, on State Forest tenure, the species is protected in a series of Special Management Areas, in which logging is either prevented or monitored and controlled burning reduced (2) (6). Wild dog and red fox control is undertaken, to varying degrees, across much of the range of the long-footed potoroo. Feral cat control is undertaken on a more limited basis (3). Special Management Areas for long-footed potoroos in Victoria will benefit a wide range of other native species, including the marsupial carnivore the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), which is also threatened (3).

The shy and elusive long-footed potoroo is one of the rarest marsupial mammals in Australia (3). Potoroos are essentially small kangaroos, commonly referred to as rat-kangaroos. The long-footed potoroo is around the size of a hare and has a dense coat of soft greyish-brown fur that becomes paler on the belly and feet. As the common name suggests, this species can be distinguished from the long-nosed potoroo by its long hind feet, which bear long toes tipped with strong claws (4). A low kiss kiss vocalisation is produced when individuals are stressed, or between mothers and their offspring (2).

The long-footed potoroo inhabits a range of forest types, from montane forests at 1,000 meters altitude, to lowland forests at 150 meters (5). It has also been recorded in warm temperate rainforest (2). It requires an abundant supply of fungi that fruit underground (hypogeous fungi or native truffles), which form a key part of the diet and which in turn need soils with high levels of moisture. Dense vegetation cover is also an important feature of the habitat of the long-footed potoroo, as it provides protection and shelter from predators (2) (5).

This species was discovered less than 30 years ago and so its historical range is poorly understood (5). It is endemic to Australia and has a very restricted range. The main populations are limited to Victoria, where it is found in the Barry Mountains in the north-east of the State and East Gippsland in the far east. A smaller population occurs north of the Victorian border in the south-east forests of New South Wales (2).

Classified as Endangered (EN) by the IUCN Red List 2006 (1). Listed as an Endangered Species on Schedule 1 of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (2), an Endangered Species under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Endangered by the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Introduced predators including the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), feral cat (Felis cattus) and wild dog (Canis lupus familiaris) represent the most serious threat to the long-footed potoroo; their impact is thought to be greater in disturbed habitats where roads have been built, as they seem to move along roads and tracks and hunt in areas around these features (3). In Victoria, about half of the range of the long-footed potoroo occurs in State Forest which is used for multiple purposes, including intensive logging. In such landscapes, logging prescriptions have been modified to lessen the impact on potoroos, including higher degrees of habitat retention. In New South Wales, nearly all known habitat for the species occurs in National Park (6). Wildfires and periodic fuel-reduction burning have a largely unknown effect on the species and the fungi on which the potoroo depends for food, although in the short term loss of ground cover due to fire may be detrimental to survival (3). The long-footed potoroo occurs in small, highly isolated populations, so genetic problems resulting from inbreeding are a possibility. Moreover, small populations are at great risk of extinction caused by chance events, such as fire, drought, or disease (3).