Australian Wildlife – Macropods

A cheeky little potaroo

Thursday Photo is one from the archive today as Hubby and I have been a bit under the weather since Christmas although unfortunately not from excessive celebrating.

Occasionally I go to mind a property that belongs to friends of ours. They are frequently visited by potoroos who covet fruit and vegetables from their garden. They are not tame but they are quite unafraid of humans. I would frequently see them grazing in the garden and they would only hop away if I came too close. 

I had thought that these animals were mainly nocturnal but I took my photos on a winter afternoon. There are a couple of different species of potoroo and I’m not sure which this is. I am a townie and not good at identifying wildlife. My friends said they were always being invaded by potoroos and these are a little smaller than wallabies so I took their word for it. I’ve added some links to sites with more information for people who like the facts. I thought they were cute, my friends think they are furry little thieves. It all depends on your point of view.

Links:

http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Long-nosed_Potoroo

http://www.arkive.org/long-footed-potoroo/potorous-longipes/

http://www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Mammal/Bettongs,Potoroos.html

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/wallabies.htm