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Long-Nosed Potoroo
We have one male and one female potoroo, named Dumble and Delilah. They share their enclosure with Bruce the Echidna. This is the UK’s only mixed species exhibit of its kind!
A potoroo’s tail is semi-prehensile, which means that they can carry lightweight objects with it... females will do this with nesting material, like decorating the home to prepare for a new arrival!
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Diprotodontia
Family:
Potoroidae
About the long-nosed potoroo
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.
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.
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.