THE POTOROO!
The Potoroos are members of the Kangaroo family along with the Wallaby and other similar marsupials
There are three species of potoroo "broadfaced potoroo", "Long-nosed potoroo" and "Long-footed potoroo". The Broad-faced potoroo is thought to be extinct. The Potoroos are about the size of a rabbit. They have grey, browny fur and their height is about 30cm tall and they're about 47cm long. The female Potoroos have four nipples in their pouch for babies to drink milk however they usually only have one young. They hop like a kangaroo but don't stand as upright as a kangaroo.
In Australia's new Parliament house there is a tapestry showing the early settling of Australia, which shows a Potoroo with a broken cross.
THE LONG FOOTED POTOROO
The Long Footed Potoroo was first discovered in the middle of the 1970's. It is an endangered mammal in Australia and is only found living in the forests of east Gippsland. It is so-named because of it's proportianately longer feet.
THE LONG NOSED POTOROO'S.
SKELETAL SYSTEM
The Long Nosed Potoroo's skeletal system is similar to a Wallaby's. The main differences are the claws and toes. The two front legs have toes that point forward and have large spaces in-between the claws. The two back legs have the second and third toes joined together with a double claw. The babies are born about the size of a jelly bean and crawl into the pouch where they continue to grow for another four months.
FOOD: The Potoroo mainly eats fungi, insects, roots, seeds and fruits, which it gets by digging with its fore legs in the soil.
© 1997 potoroo@hotmail.com