Long-footed Potoroo
Potorous longipes
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Endangered
Listed since: 15/02/2022
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 6/04/2014
Population trend: Decreasing
Other names: None
Priority Species? No
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
The long-footed potoroo is a small, mostly nocturnal terrestrial marsupial that shelters in crude nests under dense understorey vegetation during the day. It is restricted to mainland south-eastern Australia, where it is currently known from two core subpopulations in Victoria and a much smaller subpopulation in New South Wales. The diet of the long-footed potoroo is comprised predominantly of hypogenous fungi with invertebrates and plant material making up the remainder.
Threats
The major threats to the long-footed potoroo are introduced species (predation and competition), inappropriate fire regimes and climate change. The main factors that make the long-footed potoroo eligible for listing in the Endangered category are population reduction and habitat destruction following the 2019�20 bushfires and prior population decline due to bushfires and predation.