Rat-kangaroo, Garlgyte, Ngilkat
Gilbert's potoroo (Potorous gilbertii; formerly Hypsiprymnus gilbertii) is Australia's most endangered marsupial. It is the rarest marsupial in the world and one of the world's rarest critically endangered mammals. Gilbert’s potoroo was thought to be extinct for much of the 20th century, having not been spotted for around a century, until its rediscovery in 1994. The only naturally located population is found in Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve in Western Australia, where they co-exist with quokkas (Setonix brachyurus), but in 2015 a huge fire destroyed 90% of their habitat.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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JumpingJumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withGilbert's potoroo is a small animal with a fur color that is rufous-brown across the upper side and light grey beneath. It has long hind feet and front feet with curved claws, which it uses to dig for food. Its body has large amounts of fur, which helps with insulation, and its fur ranges between brown and grey, the color fading on its belly. This potoroo has a long, thin snout curving downward that it uses to smell its surroundings; this trait is common in all potoroo species. Its eyes appear to bulge out of its face and look as though they are on an angle, and its ears are almost invisible, buried under thick fur. Male and female body types are similar and are both within the same size range.
Currently, Gilbert's potoroos occur exclusively on Mount Gardner headland at Two Peoples Bay par (Western Australia). Within that area of less than 1,000 ha (2,500 acres), these animals occupy four separate areas of dense shrubland within valleys on the mount's slopes. The vegetation is between 1.5 and 2.0 m tall with 70-100% canopy cover, and a dense layer of sedges.
There is very limited information on the social habits and behavior of these animals. According to information, acquired from radio-tracking and trapping, they are likely to form small, isolated groups, which are scattered throughout their range. Some sub-adult individuals and older males are known to move from one group to another. Within a group, home ranges of individuals of the same sex rarely overlap, whereas territories of male and female potoroos usually do overlap. These nocturnal animals spend their daytime hours hidden in dense undergrowth. In addition, they can occasionally nest at night, typically in secluded, bowl-shaped recesses under low bushes, sheltered by the shrub canopy. According to studies, these animals make one-kilometer foraging trips each day from their daytime hideaways, returning to their shelters in the morning. Although there is no information on the communication behavior of Gilbert's potoroos, they are thought to associate with conspecifics through visual stimuli, noises, and smells, like other marsupials.
Gilbert’s potoroos are believed to be primarily herbivores. Throughout the year, they feed on truffles, which compose more than 90% of their diet. The rest of their diet consists of occasional berries, fleshy seedpods as well as some insects.
Reproductive habits and behavior of this species are currently insufficiently explored. Gilbert's potoroos are believed to have polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system, like their close relatives, Long-nosed potoroos. Births may occur throughout the year. Young are born approximately 4-6 weeks after mating. The newborn babies remain in the pouch of their mother for the first 3-4 months of their lives, after which they begin appearing from the pouch; this lasts for a week, after which they leave the pouch, continuing to feed upon maternal milk for another month. Then, during the following 1-2 months, they live on the territory of their mother, leaving by the age of 6 months. There is no accurate information on the age of reproductive maturity in this species; males appear to become mature after 2 years old, whereas females are known to give birth at one year old.
Gilbert’s potoroos presently suffer from the destruction of their natural habitat as well as feral predation. However, the primary threat to the only known, small population of these animals in the wild is fire: living in an area, covered with vegetation, which is exposed to wildfire, Gilbert’s potoroos are highly threatened with complete extinction.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Gilbert’s potoroo is 30-40 individuals. This species is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...