Long-nosed Potoroo (southern mainland)
Potorous tridactylus trisulcatus
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 2/03/2022
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Near Threatened
Listed since: 28/05/2014
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
All subspecies of the long-nosed potoroo are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, leaves, roots and flowers, and invertebrates with the most significant food source is sporocarps of hypogeal fungi. The long-nosed potoroo are intricately linked to forest ecology through the food web, as their physical disturbance of the soil helps to improve soil condition and moisture penetration and the consumption of the underground fungi helps to disperse the fungal spores.
Threats
The main threat to this species is the predicted population decline of 33 percent in the next three generations as a result of the 2019-2020 bushfires, compounding existing threats from habitat degradation and predation by European red fox and cats. The species requires a habitat that has been unburnt for a long period (>20 years) with the species unlikely to recover to pre-fire population abundance before the next major bushfire event.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
3
To help compare the relative vulnerability of different species, we have developed a scoring system based on biological and ecological characteristics that influence a species' ability to survive and recover from environmental change and natural disasters.
The framework is adapted from assessment methods used by conservation experts following the Black Summer bushfires to help identify species most in need of conservation action, research, and recovery funding.
Each species is assessed using a range of factors, including its conservation status, lifespan, reproductive rate, habitat and dietary requirements, ability to disperse or recover after fire, and the number and severity of threats it faces.
In general, the higher a species' score, the greater its overall vulnerability and risk of decline or extinction.
Like all conservation assessments, this scoring system is limited by the information currently available. Many threatened species remain poorly studied and receive limited research funding, meaning some assessments rely on the best available scientific knowledge or information from closely related species. As new research becomes available, scores may be updated to reflect our improved understanding.