Overview
Gilbert’s Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii) holds the poignant title of Australia’s most critically endangered mammal and one of the rarest marsupials on the planet. Presumed extinct for an incredible 120 years following its last historical collection in the 1870s, this tiny, nocturnal rat-kangaroo was serendipitously rediscovered in 1994 in a secluded coastal valley at Two Peoples Bay near Albany, Western Australia. Surviving on a specialized diet of native subterranean truffles, it represents a remarkable triumph of modern wildlife conservation.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Gilbert’s potoroo is a compact, rabbit-sized marsupial enveloped in dense, soft, grizzled brownish-gray fur with pale buff underparts. It features a finely tapered, naked-tipped tail, small rounded ears, and a distinctive slender snout equipped with keen olfactory receptors for detecting underground aromas. Its forelimbs possess elongated, curved digging claws specialized for excavating soil, while its hind feet display the syndactylous fused digits typical of macropodoids, used for grooming its thick coat.
Behavior and Ecology
Strictly nocturnal and intensely secretive, Potorous gilbertii weaves an intricate network of narrow tunnels and runways through virtually impenetrable coastal heath thickets. More than 90% of its diet consists of subterranean hypogeous fungi (native Australian truffles). As it unearths and ingests these fungal fruiting bodies, viable spores pass through its digestive tract unharmed, making the potoroo an essential mycorrhizal disperser that maintains the soil health and regeneration of native Eucalyptus and Melaleuca communities.
Conservation and Human Impact
With a global population estimated at just over 100 to 120 individuals, Gilbert’s Potoroo is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Predation by introduced red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats, compounded by catastrophic wildfires that incinerate old-growth heathland cover, historically pushed the species to the brink of extinction. Intensive emergency conservation actions have established insurance populations on predator-free Bald Island and within fox-proof fenced enclosures on the mainland, stabilizing numbers through dedicated captive breeding and translocations.
Interesting Factoid
Gilbert’s Potoroo is a gourmet truffle hunter; more than 90 percent of its diet consists of underground native truffles, which it sniffs out buried inches below the soil in pitch darkness.
Last updated: October 2026